Half Light
by baka deshi
Summary: Chapter 8 up at last! Haruna's scheme is finally revealed, and Mei Lai considers her position in the world. All the pieces are coming together... An epic backplot fic involving those lost in the shadows.
1. Opening Movements

Disclaimer: I own nothing, save the characters I've given life to.   
Author's Notes:  
This is completely different from any story I've ever posted here before, so bear with me. It's long, convoluted, and definitely not a smarmy, happy ending - back plot really can't be, ne? Almost all the characters here are original, save chibi Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, but they won't show up for a while. Anyhow, I've had a blast working on this and I'll be trying to get at least one chapter out a week (most likely Sundays) if I can. Comments appreciated, constructive criticism welcomed, but flames are fed to my pet dragon Sparky ^_~   
Opening Movements   


* * *

  
The wind was changing again. 

She had been watching it all day with idle curiosity, but it wasn't until late afternoon that the rising storm had seen fit to slink its way over to her complex, howling like a banshee. She was safe inside, and had no reason for her uneasiness-except, the wind had changed, bringing with it a new odor. 

The scent of rain, and ozone, and death. 

Lightning snaked over the pavilion, and Lady Haruna pressed her hand close to her stomach. She had woken with death, tiptoeing gently in lingering dreams, and the thought had made her so nervous she'd nearly called for her handmaidens. Lightness and darkness, intermingled. Images of her husband's death, images of her family's death, but most of all, her own. It worried at her, the thought of her husband snarling in frustration. The shame, of watching him turn away from her. The shame, of watching him come to her, futilely. Either way, she could easily discern the dream's source. 

_Damned if you do, damned if you don't_ she thought with a bitter smile, rubbing her flat belly. How many nights had it been since he last came to her? Confined to her pavilion, she was unable to watch his comings and goings, but it was apparent among the servants at least that something was going on. He had told her the war was going well to the northeast, but the light in his eyes spoke differently. He was fighting so hard to hang on to the land, to hang on to her...and she, alone in her compound, could do little to aid him. 

_How did it get this way, I wonder?_ She mused idly, a half-smile gracing her thin lips. Of course she knew how things had "gotten that way": the usual way, with smiles and flattery---not to mention stolen kisses. Sometimes, Haruna wondered if her parents had ever gotten over the shock of her marriage to such an imposing lord- if only, she smirked, they'd known about the way he'd fainted when she first shed her robes for him. But now the time for kisses and closeness had drained away, and now he came to her door with bloodstains and battle injuries instead of flowers and sweet cakes. 

If he came at all. 

She rose deftly, careful not to let her immense trains of silk drag on the floor. It was dusty again, and she'd have to speak with a servant about that - surely the gossip wasn't enough to prevent her room from a proper cleaning. Twelve layers of gossamer sleeve swung at her sides like wings, and as they fluttered the lady wondered whether they might beat themselves free. 

_Like butterflies. _

Lightning flashed again, followed almost immediately by the deafening roar of thunder. The storm was closer now, and Haruna wondered if he was still outside - if he was getting his feet wet. She made a note to check on the stock of ginger tea; his cold was already fierce enough without the horrid weather's help. Catching a passing servant's eye, the lady summoned a few housekeepers to take care of her quarters while she strolled. She should not be seen outside, but all inside was safe and accounted for. 

"Good evening, Lady," another servant bowed, and Haruna nodded almost imperceptibly. The servants were part of the landscape, but listening to nature was a survival technique all animals acquired at some point. It was good to see they still honored her, even if only in name, during such troubled times. Some of them might even be loyal to her, and Haruna treasured such knowledge beyond many of the more physical comforts they provided. Dismissing the young man gently, Haruna continued into the main part of the compound. 

She stuck her head into the storeroom only briefly; there wasn't enough light to discern anything in the shadows. The candle box from the hallway pierced a little ways into the darkness, but it only served to elongate the shadows. Were she a lesser woman, she might have feared the way the flickering darkness looked alive. 

_There are worse things than monsters that go "bump" in the night._ She thought idly as she slid the door closed. Some other person would retrieve the ginger for her. 

_Some of them, I've met personally._

She found herself wondering again, as she approached Jii-san's room, how anything so ancient could still breathe without rattling itself to pieces. Her hearing could never approach her husband's, but even she could pick up on the clunky wheeze of the caretaker's lungs well outside his sliding door. Haruna could almost picture the old youkai sprawled out on the floor, disgracefully, blissfully drunk on such a dreary afternoon. ("But there ain' no workin' on sha aftanoonz when issh rainin'") In spite of herself, she smiled. 

_He's just like Grandfather used to be, well, if Grandfather were a lizard..._

"C'mon in!" a dry voice creaked, and Haruna started. So he was sober, and awake, unexpectedly so...but the better for it, perhaps. Shaking her head, Haruna composed herself and slid the door ajar. 

"I apologize for disturbing your rest, honored father," Haruna gracefully bowed. "I am sorry for any inconvenience I may be causing y-" 

"Hmph!" the old demon interrupted. "Ain' no problem, Kochou sweetie. Whaz yer problem?" 

_Still doesn't have my name right, after all this time..._ Haruna sighed internally. Rumor had it the drink had gotten to the old man's wits long ago, and it was certainly true that she had a different name every time she came to him. _It's not like that's necessarily a bad thing._ Part of herself chided. The other part was still exasperated at being called "butterfly" for the second time in a week. 

"I am no butterfly youkai, honored sir, I am the Lady Ha-" 

"Lady 'o the house, yes, yes! An' I got a right nice crop of flowers this year for ya, the hydrangeas are downright purty, an'..." 

"I did not come to discuss the flowers." 

"Oh." The old youkai rocked backward on his leathery haunches, chewing on what was no doubt a fish bone - or something else she'd rather not think about. "Then you'll be seekin' something about th' master, then." 

His wits really weren't as dull as they said. 

"Jii-san." 

"Yes?" 

"It is time." 

All pretense of joking fell away, and the old man's eyes glimmered with some unfathomable emotion. 

"So says my lady, and so it shall be done." 

He inclined his head slightly and barked his acknowledgement, touching one massive, clawed hand to his chest. Haruna rose before she could meet his eyes---and the pity she knew must be there. Saying nothing, the Lady drifted forward and threw open the outside door protecting her from the storm. 

She had prayed for so many nights. She had loved her husband, she had fulfilled her wifely duties. And now, she was giving up the final right her position had to offer. 

And still, the baby wouldn't come. 

She gazed out over the endless fields, and wondered if the nightmare was really over after all. 


	2. Opening Movements, Part 2

Half-Light, Prologue 2: Opening Movements, cont.   
Warnings: This chapter is about battle, and as such there is some violence. I've tried to do it tastefully, but this may be raised to an R (or edited down) due to the subject nature. Jury's still out on a coffee break :D   
Author's notes and response to reviews at the bottom. 

* * *

  


Lightning flashed over the north-eastern valleys also, but the rain had not yet started, still lost in a snarl of thick, ugly clouds. Instead, the sky was filled with demons; massive, taloned beasts wheeling in the sky on feathered wings, cawing hoarsely to each other. Crows.

The largest one screamed harshly before diving through the cloud layer, flexing its talons as if tearing through them bodily; the lightning flickered above it but dared not touch. Proud, beady eyes glinted harshly in the residual flares, and it swooped down lower over a certain horse-shoe shaped valley to continue searching. The remnants of what looked suspiciously like tendon hung limply from its thick, sinuous beak.

It could not be properly called a crow. 

This was a raven.

A towering whiteness sliced through the mist on the valley's floor, streaked with red on the edges and rising fast; the raven screamed again and wheeled to attack. A massive ruff of fur breached the tip of a storm cloud like some kind of lunatic whale, bristling with accumulated static. Lightning struck again, blasting muddied hairs backward, but the animal's paws were no longer touching the ground.

Twin clouds of demon energy spawned up under house-sized paws, supporting the creature's ascent into the heavens, and lighting curved around it as it burst through the cloud ceiling. Crow demons slashed at its sinewy torso rending flesh and fur alike, but the colossal beast paid little attention, sweeping some off with its tree-trunk sized tail. Red, blazing eyes swiveled to focus on the raven, and muscles rippled backward as it pulled its face into a grimacing snarl. It was canine in form, but only a fool would name it "man's best friend".

The white demon lunged, faster than a beast of its size had any right to, but the raven rolled right and easily dodged. It flipped around to dive at one enormous eye, seemingly diving straight into a pool of molten lava. The dog reacted, but not quickly enough to prevent the tip of the crow's beak from piercing the eye's soft lower corner. Howling in rage, the white demon slammed the side of its muzzle against the bird's body. It let out one startled, half-squawk as the wind shot out of it, propelling it downward. Like a marionette with its strings cut, the crow shrilled weakly and plummeted straight downward. Ignoring the smaller demons messily pulling on its back and legs, the strange, gigantic parody of a dog gave chase. 

It met the raven before the small demon could hit the ground, catching the bird in its mouth and shaking it angrily for all the world like an Olympian-sized ragdoll. The raven beat its one good wing frantically, screeching in terror, but the saw-toothed fangs squeezed harder. The raven's eyes rolled crazily in its head, and a thick coat of spittle blew out around the edges of its beak. It slashed at the canine bitterly, making one last attempt to tear sensitive flesh before its talons quivered and dropped.

The dog nearly spat the raven out, wrinkling its muzzle as if tasting something foul. It fell like a wet rag, hitting the ground with a horribly wet noise. The monstrous canine stood over it and roared, sounding more like a lion than a dog, turning one baleful eye up toward the remaining black dots in the sky.

No earthly hound has ever made such a noise.

The remaining crows spun about frantically, startled, and that was all the time the white demon needed.

* * *

  


Inutaishou, reverted to human form, surveyed the damage reluctantly. 

Blood still oozed weakly from the gash in his scalp, leaving him with an itchy, unwashed feeling, but the slash in his eye was slightly more worrisome-if he was attacked again soon, he'd be going in with tunnel vision. The gashes on his arms and torso were numerous but superficial, for a demon lord - he could already feel the edges twitching, aching to join together. His right leg was a different matter, though: it felt achy and heavy, hard to move below the knee. If it weren't for years of conditioning, he doubted he'd be able to stand--and even so, he knew he couldn't put any weight on it. 

_Probably broke it when the bastard ambushed me..._ he sniffed, still angry that he'd been touched at all. Cold or no, there was no reason he shouldn't have been able to smell that coming. He had **known** the crows were close, he had **felt** their presence all morning...and yet somehow, when he was slightly distracted, the damn raven had darted out and smashed his leg. 

In a sudden burst of fury, he savaged the raven leader's corpse again, eyes flashing red as if expecting the bird to get up and fight back. _Why_ had they done it? What purpose could there be to these petty campaigns, which inevitably ended with nothing but dead crows? In all his long years, Inutaishou had never seen anything so completely pointless. Why waste decent warriors by pitting them against a demon lord? It was very obvious the ambush had been set for him, which was why he led the crow hordes away-the rest of his pack was already injured from work on the front lines. For that matter, he couldn't understand how Lord Achou was continuing this...by all accounts, the raven clans were a flighty bunch, the lesser members unable to keep their minds straight on anything. The dog clans had familial ties (and pure bone-in stubbornness, he thought ruefully) to give them the dedication to fight such a prolonged war, but this... 

Then, he remembered the fear-stink that even his stopped-up nose could discern, the desperate look in the raven-beast's eyes as it clipped him with its wing. It had known it was dying from the minute it laid claw on him, and yet it kept pushing, maddened... 

_It's like something's driving them._

Calming down a bit, Inutaishou crouched down to think. He could be reading it wrong---perhaps it was a territorial dispute. After all, the raven leader held the markings of a valley close to his pack's most recent camping site. Although most of the crow Houses should have sent their warriors to Lord Achou by now, it would make sense if some of them had kept a few younger members to protect their interests. It **was** true that no beast who'd attacked him was over 50. Maybe, instead of a tactical ambush, all he was seeing was the desperate fear of grossly inexperienced warriors trying to drive the Big Bad Wolf away from their nest. He'd certainly seen no signs that his camp was been attacked in his absence... 

Rising stiffly, the dog demon limped over toward the rapidly cooling bird-beast, still frowning. No, no matter _how_ he rationalized it, something was still awry. There HAD to be a catch, somewhere. Not even a child could have this little foresight (at least, no child of his), so what could... 

A flash, almost faster than his sharp eyes could comprehend, and suddenly the seemingly dead raven's talons jerked toward his wounded leg. There was a sudden pain, and then a curious numbness. 

Ah, so that was it. 

Cursing his inattention, Inutaishou tore the poisoned talon out of his thigh, thanking whatever gods still listened to him that the attack had missed the large vein there. Even with a demon's healing powers, such a rapid blood loss could mean death...and had, for many of his rivals. His head swam slightly, and the dog demon could already feel his chest constricting. 

_Stronger poison...than I expected..._he considered with a gasp, but found the energy to deftly split the raven from crest to tail, making sure its spirit actually left the body this time. His sensitive hearing strained to pick up the scream of the wind as the ugly beast's soul tore through the fabric of the cosmos, floating out to who-knew-where. He sincerely hoped Hell, but that was probably too good for it. It would probably wind up reincarnated and back to annoy him, he considered with a grimace. 

Growling, the dog demon forced his leg to move by swinging his hip. It wasn't fatal, he could tell, but severely annoying; he couldn't possibly return to camp looking like this. He could already feel his healing power rushing to his groin, heating up his insides as it ate the poison alive. Unfortunately, the rest of his wounds would heal so much slower, and company morale was already so bad... Inutaishou glowered contemptously at the raven's corpse and added 'Ineffectual Sacrifice Battle Tactics' at the top of his list of things to despise. _If they'd intended to poison me, _ he thought with a smirk, _they should have found something more effective_. 

His vision wavered again, and the dog demon rubbed at his eyes. Thick flakes of dried blood peeled off around them (probably making him look like some sort of bizarre racoon effigy) but the eyesight didn't get any less blurry. _Time for plan B, I guess... _ the dog lord decided, and reached back to pull aside his long, silver mane. 

"You can come out now, Myouga." 

As usual, it took the flea far too long to untangle himself from the chunks of matted blood in the dog's silvery hair, and if Inutaisho didn't need his retainer's services he might have been tempted to squash the tiny youkai. His best spy, a strong warrior, and his _one_ weakness just had to be the kind that made him nearly useless on the battlefield... Inutaishou sighed. _The gods do hate me so..._

"Y-yes, my lord?" the flea trembled. 

"I have been subjected to an annoying poison. Kindly take care of it." The dog demon instructed, lowering the smaller demon to his afflicted leg. It was slightly disturbing, as usual, to see how the flea's eyes lit up at the sight of his lord's blood flowing. 

"I thank you deeply for this favor, master!" the small youkai burbled. "I apologize for..." 

"Just get it over with!" Inutaishou snapped, and the little flea busied himself, digging in. The dog demon was already feeling hungry from the effort of healing other injuries, and there wasn't any place to get a decent meal for miles. Sighing again, he crouched down and waited for the flea to do his work. 

A familiar shadow passed over head, and Inutaishou's eyes narrowed. 

"When you have finished, I want you to follow that crow. See what these mountain clans are up to, I cannot afford to waste any more time with their petty grievances."

Myouga mumbled something incoherent, but Inutaishou trusted his old retainer understood. Warmth was already seeping back down through his torso, rushing life-blood returning the feeling to his lower leg. And naggingly, insistently, his stomach rumbled. 

Well, to the victor, the spoils. 

Inutaishou dipped his head down to the remains of the raven, and ate.  


* * *

  
Author's notes: Wheee! I hadn't actually intended to write this part yet, but I think it will make the flow work better later on (and well, I really wanted to write a battle scene ^_^) Truthfully, I've been so mad at FFN recently that I was ready to pull this fic off and just give the whole thing up, but some very wonderful reviewers changed my opinion entirely. *hugs the readers*   
Response to reviews:   
Ayame-fataru: Yes! I agree! Backplot stories are exceedingly rare...the best you usually get is backplot worked into another storyline, but sometimes that doesn't always satisfy the curiosity ^_~ Hope you enjoy this one!   
  
Jala26: Thanks. I hope I can continue to entertain you!   
  
Kylara: Wow, I am honored to have such an observant reader ^_^ Truthfully, that characterization issue is the main reason I'm planning to rewrite parts of this prologue - you're right, I don't like the more modern metaphors. But I had a particular feeling I wanted to set, and somehow the modern words were all I could think of :/ I will try harder to avoid that in the future though - it does throw the setting off.   
  
Janet:: Thanks for reviewing! It makes me so happy to see people take a chance on something kind of weird like this.   
  
Thunk: I think I can solidly say this is the most encouraging review I've ever received ^_^ Truthfully, after the most recent batch of FFN stupidity I was about to just call it quits (and maybe sporadically write something for my own webpage), but the existence of readers like you reminded me that there's something to be said for the fan community around here. I am honored to receive such a flattering review, and I hope I continue to entertain you. 


	3. Letters, Part 1

Half-light, Chapter 3: Letters(1) 

* * *

Far across the waters from where Inutaishou's prey fell, another crow made its way that afternoon, winging swiftly with a small note tied to its left foreleg. Had it known, it might have mourned its brethren's death, but only in passing---for the lives of birds are fleeting and their affections even more so. It might have noted the deceased was two-eyed, much larger, and not blood relation, wondered what killed it, and left before chancing to find out. But this particular crow would not live to set foot upon the lands the raven had died in, and thus the question remains unanswered. 

It was not a very happy creature, as messengers went, but it did its jobs without complaint and ate the food given to it. Sometimes, in its more coherent moments it contemplated escape to find some wild female and dart through the hydrangea singing a more cheerful tune, but thankfully those moments were brief. There were big healthy females with big healthy males to fight for them, and hunters lurked in the dying hydrangea to snap up the first idiot singing a song. 

It was during one of those moments of idle, bestial daydreaming that the Thing began following it. 

At first, the crow didn't notice, despite the superior peripheral vision from its third eye. It was easy enough to mistake stray shadows for cloud-shadows, and a flash of bright light for the sun glinting off a pond. It wasn't until the Thing got close enough to make noise that the three-eyed messenger began to wonder, and by then it was too late. 

Big, distended pools of purple loomed up like a crazy bad dream; blueberry nightmares bulging in the sky to the right. Eyes. For a moment, the crow remembered a plum it had stolen from the housekeeper's garden; then the impression was gone, leaving sheer panic in its wake. Its every instinct told it to flee, but its training mandated exactly the opposite. 

And it was a very well trained animal. 

Hissing bravely, the creature dived directly at the monstrous apparition's purple eyes, hoping to gouge them and deter pursuit, but the purple-eyes twisted and easily avoided. Disproportionally long limbs reached out, faster than lightning, and slashed at the bird-beast, raking it casually along the left side. The crow demon screeched, but did not falter; the scratch was not really deep enough. However, it could smell its blood leaving a scent-trail, broadcasting their position, and it knew only one procedure left. 

Abort mission. Destroy message. Return to Base. 

The crow scratched at its cargo desperately, but its legs were already beginning to freeze. 

* * *

"My Lady waits   
Among the pine trees.  
How much longer must her husband take  
To climb the mountain?"  


It would have been a suitable love poem, Mei Lai decided, if it had not been intended for an army. 

The young demon spread the paper out on her veranda floor, carefully checking for any other information. The paper yielded few secrets though, and she puffed her cheeks in irritation. Probably a foregone arrangement, the purple-eyed girl considered, with this as a less formal proposal for action? It made sense, given the circumstances of the neighboring territories. The only question was, who was the "lady" awaiting her army? And what was her objective? 

_Well, it's certainly not to play at romance._

The message's hapless carrier hissed as harshly as it could manage through locked jaws, and the murderous, stupidly baleful haze in its eye left her no illusions about its intention. I could have killed you it spat crazily, _I would have slashed those eyes out and torn that shapely face, if you'd only had the grace to announce your coming._ Mei Lai grinned slightly, a lopsided look that seemed out of place on her delicate features, before turning away uninterested. The crow minion continued struggling, but her poisons were strong and already freezing the animal into a strange, waxed-statue parody of life. If the bird had possessed lips, they would have already curled into a rigor-mortis snarl. It would be unconscious soon. 

The characters were simple enough, but the handwriting was haphazard and irregular- highly unusual for a note of such importance. Possibly a third or fourth-class scribe had written it, Mei Lai decided---unless the document's writer had anticipated an interloper and purposefully altered his style. That Lord Wu had sent it was undeniable- his own thumbprint was affixed as a seal, and unless she was mistaken three-eyed crows were Lord Xiao's domain. It made sense; she'd been expecting those two to make a move sometime soon. Although Baron Chang had been known to use them, from time to time...either way, such allegiances could only bode ill for her household. Especially since, if she took the "waiting lady" and her "pine trees" correctly, one or both parties was arranging a transfer of troops... 

For the next several hours, Mei Lai practiced copying the characters in verbatim, experimenting with the best of her brushes before finally deciding on the proper combination. Once she thought she had suitably captured the angle of her "lover's note" (she had come to think of it with such affection), she delved into her own collection of correspondence papers. The most important factor, even more than the color, was the grain---too much, and her techniques wouldn't work easily. Too little, and the paper would be eaten alive. 

Mei Lai selected a medium-grade white, as close to the original as possible. A simple knife severed the thumbprint seal from the message body, leaving a rough edge. Brushing the original text aside, Mei Lai lay the seal piece flush against the edge of her blank sheet. The grains did match up, she noted with approval, wondering idly if Lord Wu's house met the same paper-seller that her father did. Concentrating as hard as she could, the woman stretched her right hand and drove the poison into her claw-tips. 

She didn't know how she made it work, how she could concentrate and summon up such a specific poison from deep within her blood, but it was tiring when done wrong and exhausting when done right. Somewhere deep inside, Mei Lai could feel a tingling that meant her toxic glands were busy at work; she took a deep breath and focused on the paper. 

Just a very little of her poison essence surfaced at the tip of her index finger, beading and running down the side. This particular secretion was clear, all the better for its most useful task. Carefully, Mei Lai lowered the oozing claw to the overlapped edges of the paper. There was an acrid smell, as always, and then the fibers began dissolving and reforming together; literally melting away the rift between the papers. They were joining well - almost too quickly - so she pulled back a little with a careful flex of her fingers. 

Almost as soon as she finished sliding her claws across the paper edges, Mei Lai began smoothing the paper with her left hand, oozing small amounts of counter-toxin to halt the melting. The seam was too smooth, unnatural even to the untrained eye, but in hazy candlelight late at night it was unlikely to be discovered. Better still, she could make it part of the fold (those always have strange textures) and... 

_You're grasping at straws here._ She chided herself ruefully. Besides, if her handiwork was discovered - no one could trace it back to her. It was the only comfort she had with her correspondences anymore. She might have found it sad, had she not been so intent on her project. 

Once the poisons had suitably worked themselves out, the demon leaned back to reach for her brushes and made short work of penning a new message above the thumbprint seal, mimicking the style used in the original. She wasn't sure if the imagery was important to the receiver, so she left it in - but changed the meaning entirely. 

"My Lady waits in the grove  
But the pine trees are evergreen.  
Her husband need not climb the mountain yet."   


An outright refusal would be too outlandish, and the receiver would know the bird had been intercepted. To merely say the troops were not needed yet... 

Mei Lai scowled. If she had her way, the troops would never BE needed. 

The crow demon shuddered weakly as she lifted its left limb again but could do little more than gape at her audacity. Folding the replacement note carefully, she rebound the parchment as carefully as she had first seen it, right down to the knot. It would only be a short time before the crow was up and about, but first she would rest. 

Finally finished, the young demon lay back to contemplate the fall. 

The loss of their ancestral lands was imminent in the winter, but no one felt it as painfully as Mei Lai (by her reckoning). She could feel it in her bones, in her claw-tips-in every drop of blood splashed recklessly over the old, hallowed grounds. The boundaries were changing again, new forces growing to the northwest, and she could feel control draining away from her as steadily as the weeds advanced on her once well-tended garden. She could no more halt their advance with her little notes than remove the Moon (may she live forever) from the sky. 

What do you do, when everything is ending? 

It must have seemed the same to her ancestors, who lived through even darker times, but Mei Lai was still a young demon - still too new at living to believe in hope at the end of the tunnel. And from her pessimistic standpoint, there was no evidence it ever had. Her family had survived, this past six hundred years, but only that - her older siblings hadn't been the ones to drive the wild-haired barbarians back; they had only retreated into increasingly smaller fortresses. Cowardly. Necessary. The family had survived, and Mei herself was born-- but into a shadow of the former empire. They had prayed so hard for her manhood that nobody noticed once she proved female, and consequently the youngest child was free to see what everyone else had missed: how decrepit the compounds were despite the cheery decorum, how the borders were violated everyday by no-name interlopers. How her sisters were whored out, one by one, to hold a failing position in local politics - bride prices bought far too cheap for the wrong reasons. How truces that should be binding were slashed and violated, each in turn, until even close neighbors could not be trusted. 

And most of all, how the city women laughed. 

Mei Lai's cheeks flared and she hissed involuntarily. The crow minion shifted awkwardly beside her, stirred by her distress, and she turned her head just enough to look straight into its foggy eye. It was coming around but still far from mobile, caught in the throes of something it couldn't see, or sense, or fight. 

_We aren't so different, little one..._Mei Lai thought as her claws lit with a counter-toxin to the paralyzing agent she'd used earlier. It hissed again, glaring as defiantly as one could through wide, dialated eyes. Did it even understand it was trapped? Somehow, that thought made the situation even more perverse. 

The beast squawked only faintly as she slipped her longest finger behind its head, searching for a useful vein. She concentrated briefly to add a slight stupor-inducing toxin into the antidote already flowing through her veins. Crow minions were excellent homing animals, but their short-term memories could be disrupted easily. With any luck, she could fog its mind just enough to let it forget its training, and eventually it should return on its journey very little the wiser. And if it remembered, and destroyed the message... 

_It doesn't matter._ Mei Lai considered, restraining the creature under one arm as she pierced its veins. _They'll send another._

The crow began reviving almost instantly, cramped muscles relaxing into taut but workable shapes once again. It was indeed angry, but its struggles seemed unfocused...as if it couldn't quite decide whether to bite the arm cradling it or the air. One crazed, reddened eye blinked up at her, and she winked back. 

"Go little one. Remember your mission, and do not fail to return to your master once your task is completed." She urged, noting the jerky way it dipped its head: a clumsy, but obedient, nod. 

"Mei?" A grating voice wavered into her apartments. 

Mei Lai hastily shoved the bird off the veranda, watching impatiently as it teetered about on the ground...then jumped awkwardly...then flew. 

Heading west to Lord Xiao, if the shadows were correct. 

Her thin lips curved into a proud smile. 

"Mei? Daughter?" More insistent this time. 

"Coming, Father!" 

Repressing her discontent, Mei Lai shoved her other correspondences aside, leaving a large note unopened on top. A slight breeze nipped at its edges, teasing it open, but only a passing rat ever saw its contents. 

Mainly, it sat there. 

* * *

**Author's Notes:**  
*phew* That was a hard chapter to write! I hope it wasn't too brief of an introduction, setting this whole fic up has proved to take more talent than I fear I have. Don't worry, I won't give up--I've got too much of the later stuff planned out for that ^_~ I'll post chapter 4 fairly soon after (before Friday) and use the weekend to get ahead so I can actually update once a week (shock!)   
  
**Response to Reviews:**  
  
**Dark Kitsune**:  
*blush* Thanks so much for your kind comments! You certainly guilt-tripped me into updating faster ^_~   
  
**Thunk**:  
Great name, huh? Well, the credit goes to Takahashi-sensei for that one - I seem to recall somewhere at the beginning Myouga mentions his lord's name was Inutaishou (literally, "dog general") ^_~ But I'm glad you liked him-I was worried he would come off as too violent, since there's so many happy-waffy backplot scenarios out there ;/ The way I figure, he'd have to have some amount of violence in him to maintain the Western Lands...and to have kids like Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha ^_^ Hope you continue enjoying this (and when can we expect more from you?)  
  
**Kylara**:  
Once again, I am flattered to have such an observant reader. Looking back, I realize that my grammar just completely fell on its face in that fic...thanks for noticing. Do you beta read, by any chance? *grin* As for the crow/raven distinction, thanks for catching that...I didn't know there was a species difference, my bad. I was thinking of my first impression of Japanese "crows"-unlike American crows, those beasties are s-c-a-r-y. Those beaks look like they could crunch through concrete, and they really are menacing...add that to the oversized spiders and centipedes, and suddenly all those animal-demons make so much more sense! Finally, mad props to you for pointing out the "white demon" line. Although his coloration did play a large role in the descriptions, I was actually considering the white/black connections...I love it when I can make something violent/evil pure white ^_^ I can't believe somebody noticed! *gives Kylara a kudos bar*   
  



	4. Letters, Part 2

**Author's Note:** Northeast is the inauspicious "demon direction" in Japanese mythology, for those who were wondering. Also, Haruna's name has the kanji for "spring" in it…somewhat important later on in the chapter. Finally, a brief lesson in how Japanese is written: in older times, only the very well-educated could read Chinese characters (kanji)…every other literate person made do with a simple syllabary.   
  


* * *

The shadows were creeping on toward evening before Lady Haruna roused from her own writing desk to consider the sewing, but her neglect wasn't entirely intentional. She'd honestly meant to get to it earlier, but there was so little joy left in it…after squinting at miniscule stitches for so many days, it felt like her eyes might be permanently crossing. Still, it was better than the mind-numbing silence, and in some ways she supposed she looked forward to being frustrated. At least the needle-pricks gave her a reasonable excuse to curse. 

At one point, her women had advised her to embroider the patterns on her child's naming-day robes for good luck, but lately she saw little point to the exercise. She had poured all her soul into the first layer, lavished it with hopeful cherry blossoms and aspiring mountains, and still no child arrived to fill it. She tried even harder with the next layer, stretching the to the limit of her abilities to fill a blue silk sky with delicate wishing-fireflies, but the more weeks passed by the harder she found it to believe in them. Presently, it was gathering dust. 

Her own winter robe was going well though, the lady considered, squinting down at the ebony silk. The very beginnings of winter trees snaked over the sleeve bottom, and she knew it would be one of her finest...if she took the time to finish it. It was a pity, she thought, that her husband's wardrobe never seemed to need mending--at least it would give her something useful to work on. 

After all, she now owned a total of fifteen winter outfits. 

A sudden creak on her veranda step catapulted her senses to high alert, and despite her carefully cultured reserve the woman couldn't help but gasp. It was heavy, impatient; the kind of deliberate step that implied obedience. A faint scratching noise and then a growling whine, which could only mean… 

_He's home!_ her mind sang joyously, and her heart beat triple-time to keep up with the tune. The wearied ache in her hands disappeared as she smoothed out her overcoat, raked bony fingers through thin hair. _I look terrible!_ she panicked, reaching for her fine toothed comb. She'd not yet had time to bathe, and her women hadn't even helped her pick the nits out... 

Another scratch, more insistent this time, and Haruna dropped the comb in favor of rolling up the blind. To hell with the lice, she'd take care of them later. 

"Coming, my lord!" she called, as composed as she could be under the circumstances. What was he visiting for, so suddenly? Was he injured? She thought about calling for a servant but decided against it--surely he would be inside already if something dire had happened. _And hopefully he's clean this time_...she shuddered involuntarily, remembering the last time he'd come to her door, covered in blood. 

She swept to the nearest blind and peeped through the crack, but her husband failed to appear. Suddenly, the scratch came again, and Haruna whirled around on the heels of a sudden shiver. 

Northeast. 

She had never gotten used to how he always managed to appear from the least auspicious direction. It was slightly bothersome but she could forgive him this time--he had probably taken the most direct route. Her heart was roaring in her chest now and she could practically hear her own heartbeat as she padded down the corridor. What should she say to him? How long would he stay with her? What was happening, out there? 

_Oh gods, I hope..._

...and stopped, breathless. 

An ominous shape hunkered ominously behind the outdoor screens, almost indistinguishable from the bush-shadows. Instinctively, she pressed one hand over her empty stomach. 

This was no husband. 

The shape shifted slightly, swelling upward, and Haruna crazily wondered if she would even see it before it cut through the thin paper between them. There was no time to call for her servants, no time for anything but this cold, shaking freezing, these numb, fading senses before it tore through-- 

Then the whining sound came again, and the shape changed positions just enough to let her see its tail. 

"Don't SCARE me like that!" she admonished, forgetting her place for the moment. Annoyed, Haruna pulled the shutter aside to frown at the snow-white dog. 

"Why can't you just enter like a normal person?" she grumbled with no real resentment. He was home! He had come for her! He was— 

--holding a folded paper between his teeth? 

Belatedly, the lady noticed there was something awry with her "lord": how his eyes were blue, not golden—how that normally floppy ear was standing upright. And where her lord's eyes would be twinkling with mischief, this creature's eyes were filled with a dull, bestial malice… 

It wasn't fair, but for a moment she hated him and his messengers equally. 

"Are you seeking me?" she asked wearily. The animal dipped its head affirmatively but kept its tight hold on its cargo, wrinkling its muzzle into a wicked snarl. 

"Come on then, drop it!" Haruna snapped, reaching for what was rightfully hers. The animal bared even more of its fangs and the lady recoiled; it might owe its allegiance to her husband, but it was clear the beast spared no love for her. 

"I apologize, friend messenger." She bowed apologetically, and the beast lashed its tail in what could only be described as annoyance. If anything, its snarl deepened—but finally the jaws parted, and an off-white slip of paper dropped silently to the floor. 

_What kind of idiot are you? _ Its eyes sneered, waving its milk-white tail indignantly. 

Then it was gone. 

Haruna reached forward with hesitation and she couldn't hide her revulsion at the note's shiny coat of dog-spit. Yet another reason to hate the abominable creatures, she thought with disgust…they can't even serve as a proper go-between. _Why couldn't he use birds as his emblem? Nice, pretty songbirds that don't _drool_ on everything…_

There are times when a lady sincerely regrets marrying a dog lord, and Haruna decided this was one of them. 

Shuddering, the woman finally forced herself to touch the paper, gingerly pinching one corner and flipping it over hastily. Definitely from her lord, given the seal. Telltale doggy teeth marks were imprinted around the outside edges, but the inner folds had survived the hot saliva. Still utterly disgusted, Haruna forced herself to open her letter. 

Poetry, she realized, written in the old style. The calligraphy was exquisite but shaky– the tell-tale edges of haste and rough brushes. Thankfully it was written entirely in simple syllable-characters; else the note would have been completely illegible. There was no signature, but she recognized that penmanship anywhere. 

"Autumn maples  
Turn red as fire.  
How I yearn for spring." *   


She smiled then, running her fingers over the play on her own name; the mention of his longing nearly easing her own pain. That he would send his own, highly recognizable signature-messenger in broad daylight… For one heart-breaking moment, the loneliness seemed unbearable - but gradually the pain in her chest eased, and she could breathe past the knot in her throat without crying. It would do little good to stain her sleeves with tears, when _that_ woman was already established in the eastern apartments. 

She was busy reading the poem for the second time when something heavy came crashing down her corridor. A sudden swishing noise, something scurrying toward her, and then thumping person disappeared before she could even react. 

Grasping her belt knife, Haruna swiveled to face the thing behind her--only to find an unassuming note on nondescript brown paper. Giggling more in relief than actual amusement, the lady retrieved her latest message and slit the crude seal open with her belt knife. It was written somewhat inexpertly, she noticed...the ink was even smudged twice! Jii-san must have returned—or he had found a contact he trusted within the castle walls. Somehow Haruna doubted the possibility, but it was comforting to know that such a person might yet exist. 

"The hydrangeas are over.  
Now is the time for   
A few final roses."  


_Definitely no points for writing style._ the lady grinned, giggling slightly at the old retainer's choice of words. Even a child of six had to know the roses had long ago stopped blooming…not even Jii-san's talents could keep them alive past the first heat of summer. Hydrangea, maybe…but even that stretched his talents. But regardless of the imagery, Haruna was still greatly excited by this latest poem. 

It was the other meaning that got her. 

A few roses, he said. 

But how many, and how sweet?   


* * *

"She received my message." Inutaishou queried. It was a statement, not a question, and for a moment the messenger-general was unable to respond. 

"The messenger-beast returned this evening, my lord, but..." The unfinished sentence hung in the air, and the young retainer's disapproval was almost tangible. The diminutive terrier swished his tail anxiously, but his master did not turn to rebuke him. The messenger-dog had returned from its errand uneventfully, but the very concept of using it for love letters... 

"What should I have done, then?" the dog lord continued, deceptively lightly. Almost dangerously. The younger demon watched in confusion, chocolate-brown eyes attempting to gauge his lord's expression. 

"Should I have let her languish there, without word? I could be dead, you know." he continued. "You know she can't go out, in her condition." 

"...condition, my lord?" the young pup questioned. Suddenly, piercing gold filled his entire field of vision, cat-slit pupils expanding into beams scant inches in front of him. It seemed that his lord had never moved so fast. 

"She is barren, you fool." Inutaishou hissed, and the pup quailed beneath the massive paw lying nonchalantly on his shoulder. He gazed at it stupidly, quite unable to respond. 

Abruptly, Inutaishou withdrew, as if faintly embarrassed by outburst of emotion. He turned once again toward his pack, but glanced once more at his messenger-general out of the corner of one reddened eye. 

"Torachiyo?" 

"Yessir?" 

"You know I've treated you like a son, since your father died." 

"I thank you, master." the servant replied humbly. 

"And I would have taken you as my heir, if not for Makoto…" 

"Makoto?" 

"Between you and me, I should have gone ahead with it." The dog lord scrubbed one hand through his silvery hair in frustration. And for one, fleeting moment, all of his business-like manner dropped away. 

"I really did love you, son." The lord whispered sadly. 

"My lord?" 

In the space of a heartbeat, Inutaishou split Torachiyo's torso open from flank to groin and tore out the crow demon nested inside. 

"You shouldn't have started with Tora." Inutaishou rasped. 

The sickening crunch its neck bones made did little to comfort him. 

Torachiyo lay exactly as he'd fallen but he wouldn't last long; the edges of his fur were already crumbling. In an hour, he'd be dust- but at least his body was no longer controlled. 

_Did they think I was blind?_ Inutaishou raged, stalking beside it. _Did they think my senses were so dull that I couldn't smell out a corpse? As if I can't notice when my people turn half-witted...Oh, _Tora... 

But he also remembered why he hadn't adopted the puppy, how the boy was so prone to wandering by himself, and how he implicitly trusted anything that didn't overtly act hostile... 

Poor Tora, he never had a chance. 

He did not cry, because he knew he would never have time to stop if he got into that habit, but Inutaishou did allow himself a brief moment to remember his little servant…as he remembered all the puppies that had gone on before. More than anything else, the boy's smile came to mind—strong enough to melt the sun, it had seemed. He'd always wondered where that smile would take his little friend someday. 

Now, he was only left to wonder how long the crow had tortured the boy before possessing him, and how much the bird's master knew.   
  


* * *

  
  
**Response to Reviews:**   
  
**Dark Kitsune:** Thanks again for your continued support for this story and all your kind words…you help keep me on my feet when I'm feeling down about my writing. I should be updating a lot as the dialup allows, and I dedicate the next few chapters entirely to you ^_^   
  
**Kylara:** Once again, kudos to you for picking up on the minor details! I have indeed read part of the English-translated Genji…I'm not quite up enough on ancient Japanese forms to read the original ^_^;;; However, I concede that I'm taking a few liberties with that particular part of the story…this timeline is actually somewhat past the Heian-period court dealings, which was when one paid the most attention to calligraphy, paper, etc. But hey, this is demon society, and their social circles can work differently from the humans, no? Anyways, if you want some other great resources about Japanese poetry, Heian-era court intrigue and the ilk, there are a couple more in translation (like The Gossamer Years). So yeah ^_^   



	5. Of Mortality and Concubines

IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter contains a scene that will probably spark controversy. I do not mean to use the concept lightly, but I **am** trying to paint a picture of an older world where killing is sometimes necessary. So regardless of my actual feelings on the topic, I have decided to leave the scene in and let you make your own impression of the character's actions. 

* * *

"Ming Yue? Darling?" 

Gnarled hands pawed blindly, dribbling acid over the veranda. The dark liquid pooled into tiny puddles and cut grooves into the earth, making it look like the stones themselves were weeping. 

Perhaps they were. 

"No, Father," Mei Lai sighed, catching his forearms. He stared at her blankly. "Mother is gone." 

"Grandmother?" One scarlet eye rolled and focused on a butterfly; the other tried frantically to find her. 

"No, Father…" she replied dutifully, handing him a new towel. The acid immediately seared into it, melting the threads into wide-mouthed holes. It was bad this night, almost beyond believing, and although several hours had passed Father was still hallucinating. Mei Lai stretched out her own hands again, forcing more neutralizing poison into them, and once again clasped her Father's hands with her own. 

His illness was settling into the hands, so the doctors said, but cutting them off was also suicide…he would no more be able to control his internal poisons than a newborn would be able to stop drooling. _The poisons come from the intestine and spleen,_ her mother had told her once _and they travel through the Six Major Organs before the kidneys filter them for dispensing._ But the doctors thought that a Thunder Worm had destroyed his kidneys, and so the only things keeping his natural toxins from escaping were the organs in his foreclaws. They appeared during every storm to petition the Thunder Dragons, asking for forgiveness and new organs for their master; so far the kidneys had stubbornly refused to appear, lightning or no lightning. Another healer, the shaman Yan Hsu, said only sacrifice would appease the angered Sky Gods…two thousand goats and three fruits barbarians called a pomegranate, to be exact. Mei Lai herself believed none of it, but she did know that the poison must be eating at his already weakened mind, twisting his thoughts into strange, hidden fantasies. 

He sighed again and leaned into her, whispering her mother's pet name, and Mei Lai squeezed his hands tighter. 

After what seemed like an eternity her counter-poison took, hissing loudly as it connected with the acids dripping from her father's once-elegant fingers. Slowly, painfully slowly, she could feel her poisons oozing into his fragile skin, turning his acids in on themselves. _Finally…_she sighed gratefully. _If the treatment hadn't taken this time…._

"There you go…" Mei Lai whispered gently as his expression eased, the lines on his face smoothing out almost instantly. 

"Mei…" he mumbled wonderingly before slipping into exhausted sleep. Mei Lai eased him gently out of his lounge chair and back onto his sleeping cushions; the heat radiating out from his thin form told her his body was already hard at work consuming its own rebellion. So much more acid this time than the last..._one of these days, he's actually going to melt himself._

He stirred briefly, flipping to his side, and she found herself captivated by the soft grace of him. 

With concern, Mei Lai brushed the very tips of her claws through his graying hair. Her father had always had a pure black mane, the color of obsidian; now entire stretches of those gossamer threads had turned gray. 

The sign of his increasing mortality. 

Mei Lai looked down at her sleeping father, and stretched her small hands out to cover his. The claws were so similar that the very thought made her shudder. _To end up like Father…I don't know that I could stand it._

There was a scratch at the door, and suddenly Mei Lai was standing face to face with the young servant she knew only as Little Ping. 

"What is it?" she snapped, irritated. "I asked not to be disturbed!" 

"Forgive me, lady…" the little girl quailed. "But there is a messenger…" 

It wasn't a raven, as she had feared, but a stark white wading bird—a kind of heron, if memory served. Herons meant the south, Lord Tsing's domain, but something was strange about the seal upon the message. The two proud herons were there, certainly, but the wax was runny and unclear. _Applied too hastily_ she noted grimly. A serious breach of etiquette for those with enough free time to care, but Mei Lai simply noted the error and slid one elegant needle-claw under the flap. If Lord Tsing was that eager to reach her that the pompous old bastard would forget his manners, something was direly wrong. 

Purple eyes scrutinized the calligraphy carefully. Not Lord Tsing, despite her initial impressions…the language was feminine and held no official signature. An under-the-table deal then, yet this woman had gotten a hold of the Lord's sealing stamp…Mei Lai idly wondered who had died for that particular breach of conduct. The writer was obviously educated given the overall style, but the characters before her were less than ideal. Rushed, with strokes flying helter-skelter over the parchment. 

"Well, I'll be damned…" she breathed, as her eyes caught the main point of the message. _I was wrong_ she grinned happily. _They're after**me**_. 

"My lady?" Little Ping asked in confusion. 

"Come, little one" Mei Lai chortled with glee. "We're going to pay Tsing's new concubine a visit." _And I could use the distraction._

* * *

It was nearing dusk by the time Mei Lai alighted upon the spires of Lord Tsing's mountain fortress. The soldiers scowled, but they would not interfere…no one in their right mind would get in the way of the ladies of the House. One of them, a hog-beast, grunted in her direction and extended a spear toward a high-arched doorway. Mei Lai nodded, and dutifully walked to the entrance. 

Little Ping moaned and for a minute Mei Lai wondered if she was going to throw up again, but the girl finally took hold of her senses long enough to slide to the ground. Mei Lai twitched her wings once in disgust, but said nothing…she supposed she could not blame the poor creature, who had probably never flown in her life. 

"A-aren't you g-going to Change, my lady?" the servant quavered. Mei Lai was highly amused to see the girl turning green just looking at her lady's wings. 

Not bothering to reply, Mei Lai immediately wheeled and glared at the nearest guard before squeezing self-importantly through the stone doorway. They might not have orders to harm her, but she was not here officially…and it would not do for Lord Tsing to learn that Fou Hsu's daughter was traipsing about on his rafters. 

It took her a moment, but Little Ping finally figured out what was happening and came running after her mistress, carrying a heavy pack of supplies. Mei Lai ignored her, swiveling her wedge-shaped head left to right in the narrow stone hallway. Luminous purple eyes flipped into high gear, widening to a nearly impossible degree and absorbing every detail.

Finally content that no one was watching, Mei Lai drew in on herself and began the Change. Translucent wings twisted and sunk into a rapidly shrinking body, and long, venomous nails dissolved into tiny needle-claws. Little Ping gasped, but did not falter—although she was not privileged to Change often, she had seen it all before. Still, seeing her mistress's momentary weakness…

The second her strength returned to her, Mei Lai snatched the pack from her startled servant and began rummaging around for her robes. "Dammit girl, make yourself useful!" she barked, fishing out her silver over-robes. "Find my cowl!" she commanded, and Little Ping fished around for a while before locating a simple, brown hood with a round hole in the top. 

"That's better!" Mei Lai sighed, pulling the slippery robes of office on over her head. The cloth molded to her body like a second skin, and as usual she could feel the instinctive urge to spin in them. Maybe as a girl she might have, but she was a woman now…right?  Somehow, the mischievous cloth didn't seem to agree. Even in the low torchlight it shimmered playfully, urging her to twirl in a circle following its flashes. 

"My lady?" Little Ping interrupted, and Mei Lai shook her head firmly before reaching out to take her sacred cowl. It never failed to annoy her that the creators of such exquisite silver robes had come up with such a homely, scratchy hood to match; the fabric was hot and as unyielding as burlap. Perhaps it was burlap; Mei Lai wouldn't know. Swallowing her distaste, she positioned the infernal thing correctly and pulled it sharply over her face. She didn't need to ask Little Ping to know the effect—an unearthly creature, shimmering silver and moonlight, unknown save for the moon-mark visible through the cowl's circular cut out. Her own mother had been exceptionally impressive, she recalled fondly…that perfect, full moon-mark filling the cowl's center cut-out completely. And her dances…gods, how she could dance…Mei Lai stopped herself before she could even get started. Sentiment was useful, but not when it was wasting the Lady's time.

Her robes secured and face shrouded, the shamanka of the Moon entered the concubine's chamber. 

"Thank the gods you're here!" a breathy voice squealed, and a diminutive stork-demon bounded toward her. "The Lady has been up all day and all night with her illness, but no one can catch the damned stomach worm!" She paused in her rant to bob up and down in a quick, girlish bow. "You'll help her, won't you?" The stork girl grinned hopefully. 

_Disgustingly cute,_ Mei Lai determined with a sniff, peering into the girl's round, trusting face. She had probably been trained since birth to act this adorable, and those natural, sparkling green eyes didn't help either. _Somebody's sweet little pet._

"Why have you sent for me?" Mei Lai asked, frowning. "Stomach worms are beneath me." 

"But the chamberlain would have no other…" the girl protested, fidgeting with her tunic. Drawing closer to Mei Lai's pointed ears, the young stork whispered, "And the head lady thinks it could still be a, you know, woman thing." She blushed prettily and leapt backwards, chewing on her sleeve nervously. A concubine in training, Mei Lai decided…that silk was too fine for any mere servant. And the mark of the heron embroidered into the cuffs was pure ownership. The girl was too young to bed with yet, but the lord had clearly picked his new favorite. _I certainly hope she knows it_…Mei Lai winced, thinking of all the elegant lady's daggers soon to be aimed at that lovely, porcelain throat. 

"This way, this way!" the girl sang in an irritating but adorable child-voice, skipping down a passage to the right, and Mei Lai sighed but followed suit. "Come, Ping!" she called, and the servant heaved the pack to her shoulders. 

She could hear the moans long before she could see the lady, and Mei Lai was not surprised to see the concubine surrounded by dozens of concerned handmaidens. 

"Oh, my throat…how it aches…" the girl moaned, thrashing about on her cushioned pallet. Ladies went flying left and right, diving for water jugs, but the concubine merely knocked them away. "Do not insult me…my insides are burning too much for drink…" 

"My lady!" the head attendant screeched, splitting from the throng to prostrate herself before Mei Lai. "Deliver us!" 

"Leave us." Mei Lai commanded, eyes narrowing to slits. "Now." 

"But—" 

"I said go! And take this menagerie with you." 

The handmaiden stared for a minute, then shook herself and clapped her hands sharply. "Girls, follow me!" 

Within seconds, the chamber was empty. 

"My lady…?" Little Ping whispered uncertainly. 

"Silence!" she retorted, striding up to survey her patient. The stork woman's ivory face was flushed a brilliant crimson, and the heat of her fever rolled off in waves—so much so that Mei Lai considered rolling up the sleeves of her robes. Her white hair was wild and disheveled, spilling all over the pillow. Mei Lai wrinkled her nose. _Not washed in a while either…_

"Oh, my insides…how they ache…" 

"Hush…" Mei Lai soothed, prodding the lady's sides. The woman winced and shied away, groaning. "Don't touch me…how it hurts…" 

"Quiet!" Mei Lai growled, staring closer at the concubine's crazed, unfocused eyes. "Ping, get me a candle." 

Little Ping quickly yanked one out of its base and handed it to her lady. Pulling off her cowl and using it to shield her own face, Mei Lai pushed closer to the concubine. The effect was dramatic—the woman immediately shrieked and twisted away. 

"My eyes! Can you not see how it burns!? Oh, whoa is--" 

"Oh, bloody hell!" 

Having reached the end of her patience, Mei Lai grabbed the stork by the collar. 

"Won't—you—shut—up!" Each word was punctuated by a slap, and gradually the concubine's pinched features twisted into an expression of abject horror. 

"Why! I never—" 

"No, you didn't, you spoiled wretch—you just kept whining so they couldn't figure it out. Didn't you?" 

"What are you—" 

"Ping, fetch me her tea cup." 

The servant fumbled around the sick bed for a minute before seizing a half-full porcelain glass. Mei Lai snatched it unceremoniously and dumped the remaining contents out on the bed. 

"Hey, that's my—" 

"Silence!" Mei Lai snarled, fishing around in the leafy contents. "There!" She delicately snatched a small, spiky frond and shoved it in the concubine's face. "Devil's Frock, am I right?" 

The concubine gasped, then diverted her eyes. "…how did you know?" she asked in a tiny voice. 

"Any idiot who calls herself a birth-mother knows the effects of Devil's Frock." Mei Lai snorted, tossing the offending plant to the floor. "Severe stomach pain, unchanging pupils, fear of the sun…I'm surprised no one figured it out already. What kind of morons do you have for physicians? Dogs?" The shaman's robes quivered and Mei Lai folded her arms. "It _is_ a powerful child-prevention drug, but it's also extremely dangerous," she stated more softly. "If you wanted to use it, you should have consulted a birth-mother first." 

"But my lord would never—" the concubine paused, then sighed. "He would kill me for the insult." 

"And anyways, it seems you're too late." Mei Lai replied, placing her hand to the woman's belly. Concentrating slightly, she pressed a tiny tendril of energy forward into the unsuspecting stork's center. As she suspected, two flows of _qi_ came echoing back…one powerful, rushing stream and one minute trickle. 

"You are with child, my lady." 

"No…" the concubine breathed, and her eyes widened. 

"So I advise you to throw that damned herb away before it proves the death of you both…Devil's Frock won't get rid of a child you're already carrying, but it could warp its life-energy. I'm sure your lord would be even less pleased to know you're damaging his child." 

"But you don't—it can't be HIS child!" the lady gasped, seizing Mei Lai's sleeve. Mei Lai sighed and carefully pried the woman's icy fingers from her clothing. 

"I was afraid it would be something like that. Let me guess—fated since childhood? Star-crossed lovers? Or just some handsome face you met at a festival?" 

The concubine sputtered indignantly. "You don't understand—it's not like that!" 

"No, YOU don't!" Mei Lai snapped, wheeling on the girl. "Lord Tsing is extremely possessive, and I doubt he takes kindly to his ladies playing Clouds and Mist with anybody else. How long have you been with him anyway?" 

"T-three months…" 

"Which means he's still enamoured with you. Just great. Well, what of the father?" 

"He's a fox." 

"Ah." Mei Lai grunted noncommittally. Yes, the lord would definitely kill the both of them for that…how many fox demons could be attending the court of a heron? Most likely an ambassador from the south, and that would be even stickier: with that social standing, she couldn't even claim he took her by force. Concubine's word versus government official…Mei Lai winced. _Why couldn't she have picked a servant boy? At least he'd be a heron, and the baby wouldn't have a tail…or worse, red fur._

"Gods woman, you could start a _war_ over this!" 

"But Xi and I never meant—" 

"No, that's the problem with foxes, they never mean anything. Are you even sure he's coming back for you?" 

"Of course!" the concubine drew her face up into a particularly sappy smile. "He loves me, and he promised to take me away when he returns to his home country!" 

"—a home den filled with foxes? Honey, put your head on straight. What happens the minute your husband leaves you alone with all his hungry relatives?" 

The stork's face froze. "But Xi would never let them hurt me! He promised!" she whimpered, fiddling with the edges of her sheets. 

"But what if he's not always there to protect you? All it would take is one border skirmish, and you're as good as dinner." 

Little Ping had been as silent as stone until that point, and then she had to interject. "That's horrible!" 

"That's life!" Mei Lai snapped. "You think I like to see idiots kill themselves? But there's nothing else we can do about it, so you'd be best to forget it." 

Mei Lai turned brusquely and began wiping her hands on the lady's ruined sheets. 

"Well, I suggest you pack your things and start running at daylight…it would be better if you could fake your death but I doubt they'd believe it without a body. Or you can stay and keep taking that Devil's Frock until it actually kills you, but I doubt you care for the honorable way out. Come on, Little Ping—we're leaving." 

"Wait." The stork's desperate voice echoed ominously throughout her chambers. "Can't you…do something about this?" 

Mei Lai stiffened, and paused. 

"I mean, surely you could…with your powers, that is…" 

Snarling, Mei Lai wheeled so fast that Little Ping nearly fell over trying to follow her. "Idiot! Do you know what you ask of me?" 

"I—" 

"No, you don't!" Mei Lai finished her own question, storming toward the quivering stork. "I am a servant of the Moon, and what you ask of me is a sin against my Lady!" 

"I thought a buck rabbit lived in the moon…" 

"Ignorant fool!" Mei Lai hissed. "Child's tales. I suppose you'll be insulting me with bedtime stories next?" The concubine shrunk deeper into her pillows, trying desperately to get away from the purple eyes bearing down on her. "The Moon herself rain curses down on you if I ever hear such blasphemy from your lips again!" 

The stork was sobbing now, fat tears running down the curves of her ivory cheeks. Mei Lai was pure shaman now, every purplish hair standing on end to complement the lightning in her eyes. 

"But…" 

The concubine looked up fearfully, hanging on Mei Lai's every word. 

"I could be persuaded, if you are willing to agree to the terms. And perhaps the Moon Mother will be kind and grant your poor soul some forgiveness for your insolence." 

"Y-yes my lady!" the woman sobbed, twisting her hands together. 

"First, you agree to lose the protection of the Moon, although I question if you ever held it—the Lady does not take kindly to the ignorant. Am I correct in assuming you have never performed the Three Obesiences? The Seven Rites of Child Bearing?" 

The concubine shook her head slightly, mesmerized. 

"By the heavens!" Mei Lai exclaimed. "Is no one educated these days? Better then, that you lose this child—lest it be born under an inauspicious star!" 

"I-if you think so…" 

"Well then," Mei Lai continued, all business. "I will ask the Moon for assistance on this matter, but you must be prepared for her anger. You will likely be sick for several days, and after that I must ask you not to come begging for my services again. If you do conceive your lord's child, it will be your duty to bear it for him. Otherwise, you can continue taking Devil's Frock, but you must have someone prepare it correctly…boil it down and add three parts water for every single frond." 

"I'll get someone on it right away." The woman blubbered. 

"…and do everyone a favor and give up the fox, will you?" Mei Lai added. "Like as not he'll be gone within the month, and it would save you both some grief." 

"How did you know he was leav—" 

"Woman's intuition. And finally, I want you to grant me your influence so I can see your lord's Library of Records…there is a matter I may need to discuss with him." 

"I can't!" the concubine cried. "He'd have us both dipped in oil if I even _ask_!" 

"Who said anything about asking?" Mei Lai winked. "The House of Concubines is powerful…your brooch alone would sway the guards." 

"But…" the stork woman whimpered, fiddling with the golden chain tied around her neck. She tugged once, and pulled the ornate medallion out from under her nightgown. "You have to _promise_ to bring it back." 

"Oh, I will…I have little use for such a gaudy thing." Mei Lai sniffed, inspecting the jade-encrusted heron. Not even high-grade gold, by the look of it…then again, the lord's principle wife would be jealous if it were. 

"Now then…Little Ping, douse the candles." 

One by one, the lights disappeared, and the room plunged into darkness. 

Mei Lai drew her attention inward and stretched her right arm over the bed, concentrating on the feel of the baby's energy spiraling up out of the concubine. Poor thing…she lamented briefly, but it really was better…if not now, it still faced death immediately after birth. _Probably painful, too_…she winced, thinking of the many ways a vengeful demon could destroy a rival's child. Sliced into pieces…skewered on a spit…she shuddered and gathered the appropriate poison into her claws. 

It was only rationalization, but it made her feel a little better. 

_Lady, forgive me for what I am about to do in your name…I beg this child has safe passage into the other world, and I hope above all else that Lord Tsing doesn't find out._

Slowly, Mei Lai inched her claws toward the concubine's throat. 

"And remember…the next time you see your lord, put in a good word for the house of Fou." 

She didn't even wait for the concubine's answering nod before slipping her claws into the woman's veins. 

Little Ping nearly screamed hearing the wet choking noises echoing throughout the darkness, but Mei Lai lashed out with her free hand and knocked her to the floor first. She lay there, trembling, as her mistress continued pumping poison into the concubine's body, lighting her from within with the unnatural yellow of glowing poison. All the while, Mei Lai kept her left hand concentrated on the feel of those two intertwined energy flows. 

And then, the tiny stream faltered, and went out. 

Satisfied, Mei Lai immediately switched to producing antidote, injecting her patient with just enough to ensure her survival. Were she more sensitive she might have taken the woman's halting wheezes as an excuse to completely eradicate the sickness she had induced, but the whole affair made her too angry to bother. Instead, she withdrew prematurely, leaving the concubine to work out some of the poison on her own. _The bitch deserves some punishment_, she huffed to herself, _making me bother with this_. 

"Go get a torch and light the candles, Ping." 

Little Ping nodded obediently, but gave her mistress a thoughtful look as she slipped into the corridor. She had not been with the household for more than a season, but she did know that the Moon Lady was the protector of birth-mothers, not pregnant women…and Mei Lai had been lying through her teeth for most of that transaction. 

"So what _are_ the Seven Rites, my lady?" she finally asked as she was lighting the second-to-last candle. 

"Hen's teeth! I made them up," Mei Lai grinned, giving her servant a wink. Little Ping nodded, and used her torch to set the final wick ablaze. "I'm surprised you noticed—how observant of you." 

"Thank you, my lady." Little Ping answered dutifully. "Shall I go fetch the attendants now?" 

"By all means." 

Little Ping bowed respectfully, and cast one last fearful glance at the pale concubine before disappearing to find her handmaidens. 

Mei Lai sighed and replaced her cowl, taking care to leave her moon-mark visible through the decorative slit. Hopefully, the Moon could forgive her for her earlier posturing. 

It was ridiculous, really, Mei Lai thought as she looked back at the stork woman, remembering how the silly git had pleaded. Of _course_ she could take the small life away with her poisons, and the Moon wouldn't care a bit…what power did a servant of the Lady have if she didn't have the right to work at her own discretion? It grated at her own sensibilities, certainly, but the jade heron swinging lazily from her right hand more than made up for it. 

She had come on the Moon's business, but now she had access to Lord Tsing's war correspondences. 

* * *


	6. Utter Insanity

Author's Note: Brief note about telling time: I'm having the characters use the old Japanese way, which divided the day into roughly 2 hour periods--each named after a zodiac animal. For those who care, the correct hour of the horse corresponds roughly to what we know as "high noon" ^_^   
  


* * *

"They're c-coming, m'lord!" 

"Hrn?" Inutaishou looked up from a late breakfast, surrounded by some of his lesser captains. He waited patiently while the young scout puppy got her wind back. 

"Troops advancing up the southern ramparts!" the scout panted finally, pointing downhill. She looked so pleased with herself that Inutaishou could almost see her tail wagging through her humanoid guise. 

"How many?" his fourth-rank captain queried, and the scout snapped to attention with too much energy to be a long-time soldier. _Must be a new recruit, I guess…somebody's niece? Baby sister?_ The dog lord mused. 

"Horse-beasts, my lord, several hundred of them—at least 5 full ranks!" She really was trying hard to contain herself, but the older dogs could sense her excitement. 

"Anything else?" the squad leader huffed. 

"No sir, just horse-beasts…sir!" the pup replied enthusiastically. 

"How fast?" 

"They'll be here by the correct hour of the horse." 

"How appropriate." Inutaishou drawled, and the little scout's face heated—obviously upset that anyone dared to make light of her Important Announcement. 

"But sir!" she protested, trying to catch his attention. 

"Shouldn't you be kneeling in the presence of the supreme commander?" the fourth-rank remarked softly, and the puppy's inner tail froze mid-wag. 

"I, uh, I--I apologize, my Lord!" she squeaked, dropping instantly to a submissive crouch. 

"That's better," Sasuke grinned, swaggering out from under the shade tree. "Now go run a lap around the mountain if ya got that much energy." The other captains snickered, and the girl's cheeks flamed crimson red. "Or better yet, you go and MEET them." His tone remained light, but laughter did not touch the fifth-rank captain's eyes. "Go get a taste of this war you want so damned bad." The last line came out as a hiss. 

"Enough!" the dog leader frowned, staring at the subordinate officer. "Go tell the fourth and fifth squadrons to move out. Formation of the swan, second position. I want to get a good look at these horse-beasts before anybody touches them, hear? And you," he turned to the scout, "go back and tell your commanding officer to come in person next time!" 

"Y-yessir!" the puppy whimpered, crawling backwards on her knees. _That should take the steam out of her_ Inutaishou considered with a pang of guilt—after all, her only fault was inexperience. Still, he could not let the insult stand; the scout group's leader had no excuse but bone-in laziness for sending such an inarticulate youngster in his stead. 

_Or insubordination._

Inutaishou shook himself once, firmly, earning a passing stare from a mobilized unit. He would worry about that later, when the time came for reprimands, but for now his foremost concern was a matter of horses. He'd had a scouting party following them all morning, trying to discern their actions, but incredibly the undersized army was poised to attack; their numbers were greater but the skill difference more than made up for it. True, there were hundreds, but all of them horse-beasts…dim creatures stuck between forms, half-man and half-horse. They weren't even powerful enough to assume a false-form, whereas even the weakest of the dogs present wore a humanoid guise. 

In less than half an hour's time the squadrons were in place, waiting almost jovially. This was the first battle in months they expected to win easily, and the foe was so puny—half-breed weaklings—that even the most battle-weary were eager to attack. One of the younger captains even accused Inutaishou of setting the whole thing up for relief, a nice entertainment. He would have liked to write it off that easily too, but something in his gut told him the scene wasn't right. 

It wasn't a joke, it would be slaughter. For which side, he couldn't say. The whole situation reeked like a fish monger, and if he didn't know any better he'd swear the whole thing was a setup to catch them off-guard. 

_Or to distract me._ Inutaishou's brow twitched. _There's something wrong with this whole setup._

He could already see their first ranks spilling over the foothills at the south end of the valley, a nearly seamless flood of blocky gray forms smashing through the treeline. The effect was marred, however, by the stiffness of their motion—every few seconds a unit would halt, breaking the line continuity. _What are they_ doing? Inutaishou groaned from his position on the mountaintop. _Surely they can't plan to march UP the mountain to our camp? That's suicide!_

The strange, gnawing fingers of fear crawled in his belly, and Inutaishou found himself growing even more agitated. _There has to be something I'm not seeing here…or else they're just plain insane._

Suddenly, the advance stopped, shuddering as the horse-beasts struggled to cease their momentum. The dog leader crouched down, ready to give the signal, and the third company gathered behind him. 

"Steady!" he reminded, keeping a close eye on the fourth and fifth squadrons below. The last thing he needed was someone to transform and force the attack…he wanted ample time to watch the proceedings. Impatient dogs growled eagerly, and all eyes turned to the horse-beasts with a nearly universal hunger. _Prey_ their senses whispered. _Meat._

What passed for the horse-beast leader brayed deeply, pawing at the ground with one human-sized paw, and the legions charged forward. From Inutaishou's vantage point, it looked like they were running straight into his fourth company's jaws. 

Utter insanity. 

Dog demons spilled from the hollows around them, splitting the proud ranks in two. The horses wheeled, neighing frantically, but the fifth team was already upon them, snaking in from behind to cut off the escape route. The fight was a blur of small, false-form demons and large, half-breed horse-men, but there was no question who was favored in this skirmish. 

"Advance!" 

Inutaishou shot forward, leading the third squadron head first into battle. 

It was impossible to see at first, dusty and dizzying like any other battle, but gradually the dog leader's eyes settled on the front line. Horses were falling left and right, paper dolls caught in a thunderstorm, and his warriors cheered in response. A big gray here, an old mare there, and one little foal was neatly cleaved half. 

Madness. 

The horse-beast leader shrilled angrily, waving thick fingers in Inutaishou's direction, and before he could decide what to do the dusty air blurred and gave birth to an opponent. For a brief second, the dog demon could even understand why someone might consider the creatures worthy opponents—it was easily the size of a small mountain, well dwarfing his humanoid form. Then the creature swung its boulder-sized fist down and neatly shattered his illusion. _About three hundred years too slow!_ Inutaishou huffed in exasperation as he neatly side-stepped the clumsy attack. He didn't want to waste his time fighting, he needed to figure out the trick... 

Full-blooded horse demons were known to be extremely intelligent, but obviously their bastard offspring left something to be desired. The stud (as Inutaishou had pegged it) bellowed and charge, cutting Inutaishou off from the rest of his followers. 

_Guess there's no helping some people._ The dog demon sighed. Testing the waters, the dog lord lashed out with his talons. He was mildly impressed when the horse's thick skin deflected them. 

"Change, my lord!" someone suggested, but Inutaishou ignored him, easily moving to one side. He would not transform against these opponents; to do so would be tantamount to murder. _What's pushing them? _ he growled, delivering a sharp blow to the animal's neck. _Horse-beasts are peaceful!_ As he expected, the creature stumbled, whinnying half-heartedly, before crashing to its knees. 

"Leave it be!" he bellowed, flashing long claws at the third squadron. The other dogs faltered, but did not dive in for the kill. "Secure the south valley!" he screamed to his captains. 

The horse lay where it had fell, blowing thick spittle from its mouth in the last stages of exhaustion. Inutaishou sniffed experimentally, but he didn't need to check twice to know it was dying. 

_Strange_ he thought worriedly. _It looks like it ran for miles…its heart is giving out. But all the reports said they were marching leisurely…_

"What's your business here?" Inutaishou bullied, feeling extremely stupid as he did so. _It's not like it's going anywhere..._ The horse-beasts' murky eye blinked lazily but the pupil remained wide and unfocused. _Can these things even speak?_ The dog lord wondered suddenly, noting the animal's thick tongue. Its velvety muzzle twisted, but no intelligible sounds came out. 

Suddenly, the horse's head slammed backward toward its feet, making its spine crackle unnaturally. Inutaishou snaked toward it, but before he could draw his sword the horse was already gone. For one brilliant moment, its brown eyes cleared and bored straight _through_ him. 

"Fuh-fuh-fluh…" 

Its chest collapsed, and it fell silent. 

Remembering the crow ambush of the previous day, Inutaishou didn't bother approaching the corpse. 

The battle continued all around him, but the horses were rapidly losing ground—drawing into a progressively diminishing circle in the center of the valley. Exactly as the dogs had planned, and not a moment too soon: he could sense his warriors were losing their control. They had orders not to harm if possible, but some of the weaker pups had transformed already. One of them was savaging a horse Inutaishou knew posed no real threat; the crack of its back breaking sliced through the air. The blood lust was growing, and he doubted even he had the power to stop it. They had lost so many battles…how could he deny them this? 

_Because something's not right here…because it's like they_ want _us to win._

Another horse screamed, terrified beyond reason, and a large terrier's jowls robbed the rest of the sound straight from its throat. Inutaishou charged forward and ripped it out of the dog's jaws, giving the terrier a warning scratch. The Changed demon snarled but did not argue; he spat his prize out and rejoined the ranks. The horse's body fell to the ground with a sickening squish, and the dog leader did not even bother to look back at it. 

_There's a catch _Inutaishou's senses continued to yammer. _There's a catch here, and if you don't see it you're dead. They aren't even trying to fight the legion's advances, and surely even they know they're backing themselves into a corner. It's just like those crow demons, there must be a catch, right in front of your eyes—_

And there it was. 

Inutaishou's eyes narrowed in on a dark speck in the sky, moving in low and fast. The wing shape was right but its flight was erratic; the bird looked like it was being jerked up and down on thick puppeteer's cables. There was something wrong with that crow, and the faint gasps behind him said his captains knew it. 

"Goddamn dirty crows!" Yoshikatsu snarled somewhere to the right. Inutaishou didn't need to feel the cold rush of energy to know his third-ranked captain was transforming—Torachiyo had been his favorite nephew. 

"Stay your ground!" the harried leader barked, throwing one arm out in front of the murderous soldier. It was symbolic, and they all knew it…not even he could stop a full grown wolf hybrid in time. Yoshikatsu roared, high and inhuman, but he did not charge. Inutaishou was thankful for that. 

The crow swooped lower, searing the air with its voice, and the warriors seethed back at it, hissing as if their very hatred could down it. Inutaishou's eyes narrowed to slits, analyzing the animal. _Why would it betray itself so easily? It could have attacked us if it hadn't raised its voice…_The horse-beasts were forgotten now, a few of them leading a stampede to the left. 

"Get them under control!" Inutaishou snapped, but his soldiers were too slow to respond. Precious seconds disappeared as the dogs shook themselves out of their stupor, and several of the horses escaped over the western ridges. 

"Shit!" Inutaishou swore, and the crow dove again. It was wobbling now, more like a black bag of feathers caught in a typhoon than a real bird, and Inutaishou strained to catch its scent. Young, healthy…not ill…but it did carry the faintest hint of blood… 

One more heart-rending scream, and the crow crashed to the ground—stone-cold dead. 

All eyes were on him as Inutaishou strode forward toward the unnaturally twisted form, sniffing delicately. To his subordinate's surprise, the leader didn't even bother to check the rapidly cooling body for the reasons of death—he merely kicked the grass at its feet. Suddenly, the dog lord bent down to speak to the corpse. 

"I trust you were flying that badly on purpose, Myouga." 

"Y-yes m'lord…" the flea's disembodied voice floated from somewhere in the rushes. A single grass stem shivered against the wind, and slowly the tiny flea surrendered himself to the watching eyes of dozens of larger demons. "I t-thought you might have an easier time recognizing my handiwork." 

"Well, you almost got yourself killed!" Inutaishou snarled, before his voice was lost in a throng of wondering voices. 

"Well, bob my tail and call me Fluffy! It's Myouga-oyaji!" Yoshikatsu yipped. "Where the hell have you been, old man?" 

"Had any good bites lately?" a younger demon grinned. 

"I'll share my horse wit' ya!" 

"Good to see you all again, young masters…" the flea bowed politely, nearly falling off his perch in the process. 

"Seriously though," Yoshikatsu switched instantly into business mode. "Where were you going with that bird bitch?" 

"On an errand." Inutaishou said coolly, lifting his smallest retainer up to shoulder-level. "And I ask you not to question him further." His expression was purposefully amiable, but inside the dog lord was seething…it was just like the damn flea to pull a stunt like that. Now the horse-beasts were hopelessly scattered, with no hope of rounding them up by sunset—and he had so wanted to question the survivors. 

"I leave the third-ranks to you." The general nodded stiffly, and Yoshikatsu pressed his knuckles to his chest, claws turned submissively inward. "I'll be up on the Second Watch." 

"All right ya lazy bums! Back to work!" Yoshikatsu bellowed, wheeling on the rest of his unit. He didn't need to be told twice to understand what his lord was asking, and Inutaishou was thankful for it. "I want those damn horses back here by dusk or I'll be riding YOU guys back to camp!" Explosions of laughter. "Oh yeah? I heard that, Nakayao—better watch it, I got stirrups too!" More chortling. It would be good to laugh that way again, Inutaishou thought wistfully. 

Gathering a cloud of energy, the general lifted gently off the ground and flew into the privacy of cloud cover. 

"What on EARTH were you thinking?!" he growled deeply, turning to Myouga. "That little display of yours almost cost us the battle!?" 

"I beg your forgiveness, my lord!" the flea squeaked. "I didn't know! Not until I got close!" 

"You could have sent word!" 

"Not without breaking my cover!" 

"Couldn't you have waited at camp then!?" 

"No, my lord! It's too urgent!" 

They were at a standstill. He was right, Inutaishou realized, and that was perhaps the most annoying thing of all. 

"Well then?" the dog demon snorted, feeling irrationally like sulking. "Out with it." 

The flea glanced up at his master briefly, before lowering in a humble bow. "T-this unworthy one has a most important message for you." 

"Hrn?" Inutaishou queried. "I'm listening." 

"It has come to my attention, master, that the ignoble forces of the—" 

"Faster." 

"They're on the move again." 

"Tell me something I don't know." The dog lord sighed into the wind. 

"There is a large supply shipment crossing the northern ranges right now, my lord, and…" 

"That's the least of our concerns!" Inutaishou shouted. _I swear, if he made that fuss over one bloody supply chain…_

"…and Lord Terutora was with them." The flea finished in a breath. 

"What?" Inutaishou started. 

"I said," Myouga repeated, slightly antagonized. "Lord Terutora was with them. Guarding the caravans." 

"That's insane!" the dog huffed, taken aback. "The alliance wouldn't allow it!" He bit the words out viciously, as if his fangs were tearing the very idea apart. 

"But I _saw_ it, my lord!" Myouga protested, "Believe me, I would sooner gouge my eyes out than see it, but there's no mistaking it!" 

"But Terutora…" Inutaishou whispered, more to himself than anyone else. _Oh gods, is it true? _ He thought of his cousin then—so loyal, at least to his own family. Hells, the kid had lost his best friend to the crows! But… 

_I know it's insane, but it's not so impossible. _

"Why in the hell would he do it?" 

"I don't know, my lord, but that's what I saw." Myouga cautioned. For the first time, Inutaishou realized he had spoken aloud. 

"What do you suggest we do then?" he asked blankly, tilting his head back to squint at the sun. "Any more bad news for me, or are you fresh out of that?" 

"Regrettably sire, there are a few other matters I overheard while in Possession." 

Possession. Inutaishou repressed a shudder. Nasty word. The flea demons used it to refer to their blood magic, but it was just sugar-coating, lip service to the faint of heart. To be bit by a flea was to lose your control, to walk like a marionette until the puppeteer decided to cut the strings. Every word, every action, every thought would belong to them...At least at his current level of power, Inutaishou knew he wasn't susceptible. Still… 

Suddenly, something occurred to him. 

"Hang on Myouga, we're going down." 

Slashing his energy cloud by half, the dog general plunged downward to sweep by his third squadron. The captain looked up, startled, and Inutaishou bellowed his name. 

"Yoshikatsu!" 

"Yessir?" 

"I'm going out on a raiding maneuver. Take two units out to the battlefield and raze the grass. Search for fleas. And for gods sake, don't let them bite you."   


* * *

  


Well, what did you think? Specifically, any thoughts on the cultural stuff? I'd been trying to avoid some of it at first (like the 'correct hour of the horse') but now I think it's important for the atmosphere…opinions? Leave a review and let me know what you think! 

… 

Can you tell I'm getting desperate for feedback? :D 

  


* * *

  
  
** Response to Reviews:  
Dark Kitsune:** As usual, thanks for your wonderfully encouraging words – it's so wonderful to have fans dedicated enough to read the same day a chapter is released!! Seriously, it means a lot. So in your honor, I'll try and get the next chapter polished and posted in the next couple of days—and then I'm starting a Puppies fic ^_^   
  
**Thunk:** Wow. Words fail me. I've never had anyone suggest I write a novel before—and you know, I'll think about it. Not right now, while I'm so busy I can barely update a fanfic, but in the down times…and definitely this summer. Also, kudos to you for picking up on the dog-spit thing…I'd hoped someone would. You're right, fangirls do romanticize silly things—so I hope to distance myself from some of that. Fluff is one thing, but this is war ^_~ 


	7. Confrontations Part 1

Author's Note: Back in The Day, young warriors received an impermanent "child-name" at birth—often boastful, hopeful wishes for their future (ex: "ten thousand victories"). When they came of age, the child-name was discarded for a more appropriate adult name: occasionally sharing a name kanji with their parents or master. Names often continued to change throughout life, especially if allegiances changed. 

A quick guide, for the curious:   
Inutaishou's child-name: Kenjirou ("Dog" + "second son")  
Terutora's child-name: Tairyoumaru ("big" + "good")  
Inutaishou's elder brother's name: Kenichiro ("dog" + "first son")  
  
  


* * *

  
  
"This shouldn't be here." Inutaishou rumbled, eyeing the trading post warily. 

"Why, y-yes my lord…" Myouga quavered. "The last few traders from this area were quite certain that the profit margin of the Wild Territories was not…" he cut off abruptly, seeing the look on his lord's face. 

"No, I meant the trade embargo!" the dog lord snapped. "The dog alliance has not traded with the Untamed Regions for centuries!" 

"Ah, that is also correct, but…" 

"And this is fresh!" Inutaishou grumbled, picking through a pile of waste. Carelessly discarded, too…there was still edible meat clinging to the fox bones. 

Bending over carefully, so as not to disturb the tiny flea perched on his shoulder, Inutaishou pressed forward into the small shack. It was a lean-to, really, nothing more than a few logs piled together…but it was drenched in the unmistakable scent of frog demons, rice, and fire salts. His nostrils flared wider. 

"Cheap hair tonic…horse-hide scrolls…and ledger's ink…" Inutaishou mused. "This was their accounting room." 

Myouga swiveled his tiny head around, trying to pick up anything else in the failing light. 

"They left this place…" Inutaishou inhaled again. "Sometime this morning." 

"Then they'll be heading for the Pass!" Myouga decided. "Raven's Head Pass is not far from here…they would be under shelter in the caves by nightfall!" 

"The Pass…what's the fastest way there?" Inutaishou asked. 

"Well, that would be northeast, straight through the chestnut forest---aauuughhh!" Myouga flailed as his lord spun on one heel and took off running. 

"Let's move."   


* * *

  
  
A few minutes later, they were airborne again, riding on a cloud of demon energy thin enough to see through—much to Myouga's dismay. Inutaishou cared little for his retainer's protests, choosing instead to feed most of his energy into forward motion. _We hover low, we move fast._ he had argued, although he did acknowledge their altitude was a bit disconcerting…flying fast enough to make the trees blur away would be much more comforting if the trees were not a few feet below them. 

"We're going to die!!!" Myouga screeched as Inutaishou dodged another branch reflexively. Inutaishou tipped his head and gave the retainer a Look. 

"Sorry m'lord!" the flea whimpered, hunkering back down into his master's collar. "I'M going to die!!!" he wailed instead. 

Inutaishou sighed and doubled his efforts, putting all the energy he could muster into crossing the forest lands. The sun hung low in the sky already, bloated and red on the horizon, and he would be a tactical disadvantage if he had to fight the caravan at night…in a narrow mountain pass… 

_Besides, if they have someone who can hide something like this from my scouts… _the dog lord mused as he skirted around another errant tree stand. There had to be several hundred traders in the rouge caravan, heading straight for crow territory, and yet their tracks disappeared periodically. Simple fox illusion magic, he had deduced after the first suspiciously pristine clearing dissolved into a camp site, but the scent bombs were the real problem. At every campsite but the last one, someone had taken the time to dump hundreds of gallons of aniseed oil in all eight directions. It would take a team of skilled trackers hours (and several aniseed-induced headaches) to find the right one… 

"They have someone who knows dog demons." 

"What, m'lord?" Myouga shouted, muffled under Inutaishou's clothing. 

"Nothing!" he shouted back, fighting the wind. Every campsite but the last one was scent bombed, which meant…what? They were certain they wouldn't get caught, so close to the border? They were out of aniseed? Or they were rushed into action prematurely...the whole thing felt vaguely unsettling. 

_Focus on the_ now, _boy!_ Inutaishou could practically hear his father's annoyed voice, and he fought back a faint smile. He was too much of a "worrier", his father had often complained, always worrying about the future – always worrying about supper so he couldn't finish his lunch, as it were. His silvery hair streamed out behind him, and Inutaishou tried to think. 

_So what is my 'now', then?_ Inutaishou wondered, cresting the ridge into Raven's Head valley. _'Now' is all fine and good, but it's the past that gets you killed, and the future you get killed IN…_

Suddenly, his 'now' loomed up and smacked him in the face. 

Hundreds of pack animals were milling around in the valley bottom, guarded by mountain ogres, ominous hulks nearly as large as the mountains behind them. Back in the shadowy crevice of the Pass, cooking fires were already burning brightly. And sitting at the top of one cliff, overlooking the scene, was a familiar, mottled brown terrier shape. 

"See, m'lord! It's Lord Terutora!" Myouga exclaimed, crawling up to his master's shoulder. 

"I'll deal with this! Infiltrate the camp!" Inutaishou ordered, flicking Myouga toward the nearest herd beast. 

"Yesssiiirrr…" the flea's voice trailed off and disappeared in a flash of stampeding hooves. The mountain ogres had noticed his presence, and the nearest one was turning its terrible gaze his way. It raised its club… 

Inutaishou had no time for elegance, so he transformed on top of the bastard and tore its head off. Paws met oxen and crushed them, and two forceful bounds carried the dog to the cliffside in scarcely two heartbeats. Blood racing, Inutaishou coiled his legs under his body and sprang straight up the nearest mountain, alighting on his cousin's chosen cliff. The spotted dog demon watched him with interest. 

_What is the meaning of this?_ Inutaishou howled, although he was sure he already knew the answer. The terrier remained where he was, calmly uncurling his tail from around his body to flick it dismissively. The doggy equivalent of "fuck off". Inutaishou snarled, taken aback. 

_You act foolishly, pup_ he conveyed in the gestures of dog-language, sticking out his chest and lashing his tail. _Bow to me._ His upper lip curled, revealing tree-sized teeth. 

Terutora replied by standing. _No._

Inutaishou's claws tore chasms through the rocky soil as he tried to restrain himself. Terutora sprang forward, bristling angrily. _Leave this place._

Muzzle met muzzle, fangs glistening at each other._Not over my dead body._

_Why do you defy me?_ the elder dog growled, shoving his smaller cousin backwards. _Come, let's do this civilized way_ he signaled at length, bobbing his head. 

_Only if you will._ Terutora replied at length, ducking his head only slightly. He did not break eye contact. 

The sudden rush of energy drained the sky of color, and the earth itself groaned as two colossal demons collapsed in on themselves, reforming into humanoid shape. Inutaishou finished first, and waited for his copper-eyed relative. Even in false-form, the boy stood a full head shorter. 

"I have nothing to say to you, cousin." The smaller demon wuffed, and Inutaishou's scowl deepened. 

"Too bad!" he snapped, narrowing his eyes. "You're talking to me anyway. What the hell is this?" he demanded, waving his hand at the merchant camp. 

"I already told you we have nothing to discuss!" Terutora spat. Inutaishou noticed with detached amusement that the pup's entire body twitched, just as if his dog-form hackles were rising. _Too newly Changed_ he realized. The concept was alien; he'd had complete control of both forms for years. 

"Would Aika have wanted us to fight?" Inutaishou tried. 

"How _dare_ you use that name!" Terutora screamed, and Inutaishou could tell it was taking all of the pup's restraint to stay in his lesser form. _Too inexperienced, he can't control himself at all. _

"Tairyoumaru, _please._" 

"Don't call me that!" the terrier snapped, but he avoided his cousin's gaze. 

"I've called you by your child-name since I was little more than a child! What's wrong now?" 

"You presume too much." The other dog rumbled, but would not turn his head. "I am grown now." 

"Oh?" Inutaishou's tone was deceptively light. "Seems to me a grown pup would have the sense to stand up for his family." 

"You are no family of mine!" the terrier hissed, and Inutaishou faintly realized it was true. His grandmother's sister had been Terutora's grand dam, but his father was not from the main family. 

"What about your son? What does this…interaction…with the goddamned crows do for him?" Inutaishou ground out. His mouth was beginning to ache from keeping his jaws clenched, but he was afraid if he didn't his fangs might get the better of him. "You know the alliance will brand your kin traitors for aiding the enemy." 

For a moment, Terutora looked exactly like the puppy Inutaishou used to know: his proud shoulders slumped and his eyes softened. Then, as if steeling himself for something, the small dog inhaled sharply and drew himself up to his full height. 

"My son," he began, "is the child of Aika, your half-sister. And as such, I suppose he owes the main family his life--by blood pact." 

"Yes…" Inutaishou acquiesced cautiously. He wasn't sure where his cousin was going, but the hard glint in the terrier's eye didn't seem promising. 

"But…" Terutora paused, working his mouth as if tasting his next words. "He can only serve if there will BE a main family to rule the Western lands. Your troops grow weary, Inutaishou." Terutora clenched his fists. "And none of them, your Grace included, have mates enough to replenish the ranks. Your ranks are dying faster than you can replace them." 

"That's not true!" Inutaishou cried, but the image of the scout-puppy flared in his mind. He had thought she was someone's little sister… 

_Or daughter._ Inutaishou's mind whispered treacherously. No, he would not think of that now! 

"They will be fine, with proper support from the alliance! Some of the northern tribes could—" 

"The northern tribes grow tired of sending their sons to die, Inutaishou." Terutora scowled. "This is not our war." 

"But it is _your_ war!" Inutaishou snapped. "You have stakes in the Western lands too!" 

"Not enough…" Terutora scowled. "Not enough to make it worth my while to empty the northern forts! Not enough to leave OUR women and children open to attack! There is no way _you_ can pay me to go to the council and beg for that! Unless…" the terrier paused dramatically. 

"What?" Inutaishou growled, increasingly frustrated. _Fucking idiot, he's playing with fire and he bothers to sit here and put on a show for me?!_

"My son might have an interest in working with the northern tribes, if he were properly compensated. If he gains the authority to speak with them, that is." 

Terutora's eyes narrowed to slits. 

"After you, my son is the next blood heir to your father's lands." the terrier stated. "And I assist him in his bid for legitimacy." 

WHAT?!?" Inutaishou roared, unable to help himself. "That's preposterous!" 

Terutora shivered and squeezed his eyes shut, but he did not budge. "I will assist him until he becomes old enough to reign, and you will help him protect the southern border, just as you did for your father." 

"What on earth," Inutaishou yelled, "possessed you to think I would agree to this?! No one touches these lands, not as long as I am breathing!" 

"Your approval," Terutora sneered, "matters little. The alliance tires of your incompetence." His mask was cracking though, and the fear was beginning to show through, radiating off the young demon in waves. 

Inutaishou's gaze softened. 

"Who put you up to this, Tairyoumaru? Be honest with me." he whispered. 

"N-no one!" the terrier cried, but he shifted nervously. 

"Who was it, my friend? And what do they stand to gain from this? Is this really what you want?" 

"I-It's how Aika would have wanted it." Terutora quavered, as if he didn't quite believe himself. "S-she didn't want to see her kin slaughtered like this…she would have gone out and destroyed Achou already!" 

It was true. His youngest sister had been hell disguised as a puppy, and Inutaishou somehow doubted the joys of matrimony had made her any less aggressive. She certainly would have been chewing on him about the sloppy tactics used in the past few battles, the dog lord thought ruefully. And yet… 

"Would she really have wanted you to fight me?" the older demon coaxed. "Because you know I won't back down." He stared directly into his cousin's eyes. "We both know you have no claim." 

"Lady Aika was my lifemate." Terutora persisted stubbornly. "And your father regarded me as a son." 

"And like a son, you should be supporting him!" 

"I support the _intent_ of his decisions." Terutora retorted. 

"And how can you know what my father wanted?!" Inutaishou bristled. 

"You were only his _second_ son, _Kenjiro_." The terrier spat out the child-name like an epithet. "You know he didn't think you could handle the alpha position." His copper gaze intensified. "We both know he didn't mean for you to lead." 

"He didn't mean for a lot of things to happen!" Inutaishou rebuffed, hands curling into fists. "Tell me, are you a soothsayer? Did you know Kenichiro was going to die?" 

"Well I—" 

"Did you?!" the older demon howled. "Could anyone have known that my brother—would—die!?" 

"N-no, of course we didn't!" 

"Then how can you preach to me about my father's wishes?!" Inutaishou's eyes flared bright red. "They died together, and I did the best I fucking could!" 

He couldn't believe the audacity of the pup. _My father's wishes?! You're betraying his memory, helping the fucking crows fight a war against his land!_ Inutaishou dug his claws into his palms hard enough to draw blood. _I will not hear this from the likes of you, pup._

"You didn't really know them, you little bastard." Inutaishou ground out. Terutora snapped to attention. "You licked my father's hand and he loved you for it, and I was the one who kicked your ass when you strayed too far from home." His nostrils flared. "And now you're betraying everything they fought for, and you preach at ME for losing battles? I'm defending their lands!!" He stepped forward, raising his fists in an unconscious threat. "How can you _possibly_ presume to know what they wanted?!" 

Silence, for a moment, and a cold wind sent Inutaishou's silver hair streaming to one side. Terutora stood stock still, looking at the ground. 

"I…" 

"Yes?" Inutaishou rumbled. 

"I know what he wanted of you." Terutora's voiced strengthened, and the terrier lifted his head. The spirit was back in his eyes again, flashing defiantly. "I support the person he wanted you to be, not some weakling who can't even control his mate…his…" He stopped, squeezing angry tears out of his eyes. "Your bitch killed my Aika, and you couldn't even stop her!!' 

_Oh, Tai-chan…_Inutaishou's heart twisted, watching the strong demon crack. _Why didn't you tell me?_

"So that's what this is all about." he stated slowly. "It's about Makoto." 

Terutora remained silent, and would not meet his cousin's gaze. 

"No one could do anything about Makoto, Tairyoumaru. You know that. She waited until we were too far to--" 

"But you were her lifemate!" the younger dog cried, baring his fangs. The faintest glint of tears graced the edges of his smoldering eyes, threatening to dampen their fire. "You should have known that she would…" 

"Mate, Tai-chan, not life partner. She was…" Inutaishou grappled for the right words, not finding anything remotely fitting. "…a mistake." 

"She was _your_ mistake!" Terutora howled, lunging forward. "Do you know what it's like, without Aika? Every waking moment it tears at me, " he snarled, slashing the air for emphasis. "She rips my soul out, piece by piece, and there is Nothing—I—Can—Do—About—It!" The pup pressed closer with every word, shaking as if he were fighting against a high wind. 

Inutaishou fought the impulse to back away defensively. _He's losing it…he's going to attack me if I don't do something._ Steam peeled away from the smaller demon in thick clouds, shooting away in geyser-like bursts. _He's going to Change…_

"I have been good to you, _cousin_." Terutora spat, curling his upper lip. He was stalking now, circling closely. Wicked fangs glistened harshly in the dying light. "I supported you when you didn't have the courage to stand on your own. And I stood against that bitch, when she turned on us." He paused slightly, shuddering with the effort of restraining his transformation. "Where were YOU?" 

"I tried, Tairyoumaru. You know I tried to get there in time." Inutaishou comforted slowly. 

"Not GOOD ENOUGH!" the other demon screamed, streaking forward. Inutaishou barely managed to dodge in time, and Terutora's claws sliced through his sleeve. A perfect square of cloth snapped loose and fluttered to the ground, pooling there like inky-black blood. Inutaishou twisted away and jumped as far as his human form would allow, watching his cousin warily. 

"You…let her…kill my Aika." Terutora accused, panting heavily. His eyes were unnaturally wide, filled with red heat. "You…should…have been there…" 

"You weren't the only one who lost someone!" Inutaishou cried desperately. "She killed _my_ children too!" _All of my children…_he thought angrily. _Your family was there too, and at least you still have your son._

His only response was a wordless snarl. Terutora's jaw unhinged and grew longer, filling with knife-sized teeth. 

"Get a hold of yourself!" Inutaishou commanded, but the words were lost in the other dog's howl. One maddened, blazing eye swiveled forward, and Inutaishou stared straight into madness. 

_He doesn't recognize me._ Inutaishou realized. _Gods, but I hope I don't have to kill him._

"Tai-chan…Tairyoumaru…it's ME! Inutaishou!" he called, watching the pup shudder uncontrollably. His peachy skin was rippling, filling with stiff bristles of proto-fur. "Your cousin!" 

"I do not…have…a cousin." the other demon ground out throatily, his demon-voice echoing in the lower tones. If he transformed much more, he wouldn't be able to speak in human-tongue. 

"I sponsored your bid to mate my sister, you little bitch!" Inutaishou snarled, unable to help himself. "At least you HAD her! You never would have _touched_ her, if it weren't for me! She would have eaten you whole!" 

"ENOUGH!" his cousin rumbled, shooting into action. He crossed the gap between them in one fluid motion, sending his older relative flying. "How DARE you!" Inutaishou skidded on the smooth stone surface, unable to regain his footing. 

"How dare _you_? You're going to cost us everything, you self-righteous bastard!" Inutaishou wobbled desperately, trying to get his balance back. "You're handing the land to the crows, you egg-sucking whelp, and I _know_ that's not what Aika wanted!" the dog lord fumed. 

"Let them have it! We'll drive them out again!" Terutora growled, settling into a fighting stance. Electricity crackled around his limbs, setting sparks off whenever it touched the ground, but the terrier did not continue Changing. 

"With WHAT?! Your puny clan alone won't do it! They're spread thin as it is!" Inutaishou admonished, circling Terutora warily. Unnatural, staring eyes tracked him hungrily. 

"We will take solid hold of my northern territories, and then consider these western lands." the younger demon announced at length, enunciating carefully around his wicked teeth. "At a much later juncture." 

"You would forsake your homelands?!" Inutaishou exclaimed. "What of your family? What of your son!? If you get rid of me, this mess will be his, for godssake!" 

"My son can deal with a seat on the council as his inheritance from you." For a moment, Terutora's eyes flickered bronze again, and his ghoulish face twisted with pity. "The Western lands are lost, Kenichiro." he rumbled. "Get out while you still can." 

Somehow, the image of his cousin standing there…so smug, so self-confident. _You can't even stay in one form for long, you little bastard, and you expect the tribal alliance to follow_ your _lead? You expect ME to?_

"I will NEVER accept you as leader!" he howled, and Terutora fell on him. 

Cousin met cousin in a flurry of tooth and fang, each desperately trying to overpower the other. The electricity surrounding the younger dog pulsed once, sending them both to the ground. 

_Shit! My legs won't move! _Inutaishou panicked, feeling nothing but an alien tingling in his lower half. His cousin grinned and pounced, crackling with energy again—completely at home with his lightning powers. 

"You will secede..." the terrier's jaws flapped strangely, almost completely unhinged now. He bent down slowly, aiming for Inutaishou's pale throat, but the older demon lunged to one side, forcing his stiff body to roll. His legs were healing, but not nearly fast enough… Terutora wheeled to face him, shaking with anger. 

"You…will…raaaauuuughhh!!!" the rest of his sentence was lost in a roar as Terutora summoned all of his power at once, searing the air with demon energy. The terrier's skin erupted in hair and he loomed over his relative. That's it! Inutaishou saw his chance, and took it. 

Caught in the stupor of Change, Terutora didn't anticipate the sharp elbow to his knee. His left leg unlocked and his unwieldy intermediate form hit the ground like a ton of bricks. That was all the time Inutaishou needed, and he felt his internal healing complete with time to spare. 

The dog lord sprang to his feet and planted his foot squarely on Terutora's head. 

"I want you to bow down and swear your allegiance to me, you sniveling bastard." 

"No!" the terrier rumbled. 

"Say it!" the dog lord twisted his foot, making the pup writhe beneath him. 

"N-No!" Terutora resisted. 

"Say it!" Inutaishou screamed, and the lightning flared around his own form, setting every hair on end. 

"I…" Terutora choked, and his energy spiral collapsed. "I submit to you." 

The fire died in Inutaishou's eyes, and he stepped off the puppy's face. Terutora shrunk back in on himself, dissolving into a pathetic ball of mangled flesh._Ouch…_Inutaishou winced instinctively. 

"Yes, I submit to you." Terutora groaned, gathering his legs into a shaky stand. "But I cannot stay silent forever." His eyes were bleeding, and Inutaishou couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "The alliance will support me." 

"And I will fight them!" Inutaishou snarled. He was tired of playing. "Just like I fought you!" 

"And just how long will you last after that?!" Terutora sighed wiping the blood from his cheeks. "Once they withdraw their supplies—and support—you'll be gone." He rotated his shoulder, wincing as it popped back into place. "They've written you off as it is." 

"It would be helpful if certain members of the alliance obeyed the trade embargoes!" Inutaishou barked, folding his arms. 

"The old pacts are dead, Inutaishou." Terutora replied. "You never bothered to strengthen them. You're on your own." 

"Wha—I---when?" 

"Last week. The meeting you weren't at." 

"I was fighting a battle—" 

"That could have been avoided, if you'd pulled your troops back. Lord Achou isn't entirely unreasonable." 

"But he's after our lands—" 

"And whose were they, before your father came into them? Crow territory, probably, and centipede, and the other so-called Lawless races." Terutora straightened up, looking much less worse for the wear. "Territory isn't a question of ancestry. It's a question of who can hang on to it. And I'm sorry, but my people need goods, if we're going to hang onto our corner. We can't survive here on the outskirts with nobody trading cross-country." 

Inutaishou's mind raced, trying to recall the last shipment he'd sent to his cousin's corner of the territory, and came up blank. 

"I give you seven days." Terutora stated flatly. "Seven days to prove you can rule these lands, not talk about it. And after that, these merchants move." 

"I…" Inutaishou gave up, and nodded. Seven days…that would see a shipment to Terutora's holdings, and raiders be damned. They would secure the trading routes, and then everything would be all right… 

"So be it. I just wish it hadn't come to this." 

"Me too." Terutora sighed, and for one brief moment they smiled together. And then, the smaller demon's expression clouded. 

"Just remember, you brought this on yourself." the terrier whimpered. 

"Hrn?" Inutaishou queried, half-exhausted. He didn't even want to bother wondering what the pup was getting at. 

"Makoto hurt you, but she stole something from me too." Terutora said, moving his robes aside to reveal the marriage knife Aika had given him. "But I remarried, and went on with life. As you should have." 

He shook himself and put the bridal knife away. 

"You have seven days." 

The terrier turned back to watch over the caravan, and the negotiation was over.   
  


* * *

  
  
So, the plot thickens! Did I lose you (well, lose you completely?) If so, let me know and I'll rewrite parts of it. This chapter really SUCKED to write, btw…there's backplot to the backplot, and I have to ease it in slowly ^_~   
  
**Response to Reviews:**   
**Dark Kitsune**:   
Thanks for your continued support. Means a lot to me ^_^ I hope you still like the cultural references after this chapter – I tried to keep it from getting too confusing, but I really wanted to keep their childnames in ^_^;;;  
  
**Thunk**:   
Thanks for your nice comments on the battle sequences – I was worried about those ^_^;; Characters aren't that hard, btw – I keep killing most of the minor ones off before they really get much of a personality ^_~  
  
**lynnxlady**:  
Thanks for taking a chance on this story! Not many people do…I never thought I might be hurt by the WAFF stereotype though. I haven't really seen many backplots at all, excepting the "Sess hates humans because his One True Love got killed by one." Blargh. Hope this chapter pleased ya!  
  
**Catwho**:   
Yes, you are correct – Mei Lai is Chinese ^_^;; One of the problems of studying East Asia is that I automatically assume those subtle cues mean something to people – I completely forgot that most people won't know that "Mei Lai" is Chinese (or Korean or Russian or whatever). Oops. I'll clarify that in the next chapter anyways. And THANK YOU FOR THE FANART! It was absolutely perfect…her hair just stuns me ^_^   
  
**ChibiJen**:   
Hehe…don't worry, I promise not to write 5 pages of reviews either ^_~ I'll get to work on the next chapter immediately!   
  
**To Everyone Who Reviewed:**  
Thank you for your continued support (and nagging)! Next chapter will be out as soon as I get some other things taken care of; until then, please accept my deepest love and affection.  
  
  
**To Everyone Who Didn't Review But Got This Far**:  
REVIEW, YOU BASTARDS! I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE…I HAVE SUPPORT SERVICES ^_~   
  
Ok, I'm done now ^_^;;; baka deshi out. 


	8. Homecomings

A/N:  
After some careful consideration, I have decided to continue "Half-Light". Originally, I had thought about dropping it since the third movie promises to explain the "Official" backplot…but in the end, I can't. I love this fanfic, and I think there's room in the world for both our versions. 

HOWEVER, this also means that I will not be answering to any questions regarding ANYTHING within the movie continuum. As long as I'm attempting to write this story again, I don't want to hear anything about the movie's explanation. I don't want it to color what I'm doing, lest I start plagiarizing or something >_ Otherwise, short chapter this time. Hopefully this will remind everyone where we last left Our Heros, and it'll help me get into the swing of things again. The biggest problem I've been having with this fic is the length of the chapters, so this is an experiment to see if I can get away with posting shorter scenes (where applicable). To give you an idea, this is a third of what I'd originally planned to post, and it's nearly 12 pages long @_@ Hopefully the pieces are starting to come together though, and perhaps you'll start to see how things hook together. Mei Lai does get the shaft here, but hey—she's had a lot of screen time lately, and her story will become clear next chapter. 

Enjoy. 

* * *

_Nothing!_ Mei Lai fumed for the thousandth time, clicking her talons in frustration. _Nothing, which means that he keeps his books in closer confidence than that…which means…_

She thrust her wings harder, still annoyed. She had known before she started that there was little chance her foray would succeed, but she had never dreamed it would fail so spectacularly. Of course she hadn't expected anything _real_…only a true idiot would leave his actual plans written out in such a poorly guarded fashion. But there was usually some truth to be had in financial records, and quite often in fictitious battle plans. _Find what they want to protect!_ her father had always said. _The truth can't be perfect, but a lie usually is. Whatever they're guarding, that's where the story will look the most seamless—that's where the hole in their defense is. Look around the edges, and you can find a way to unravel the whole thing. _

But she had found no holes to slip through: no large shipments of grain, no increase in taxes, no labor receipts. And no lack of them either—everything was as it should be. 

Which was the most frustrating thing of all. According to the records she'd seen, it almost looked as if the Stork Empire was interested in supporting her family's interests. Not openly, obviously, but the few (seemingly legit) trade embargoes she had found seemed to indicate that Lord Tsing was interested in quarreling with the Fox empire, not her father's domain at all. It could all be smoke and mirrors, but… 

_There was no way he could have anticipated my presence in his Hall. _she thought, irritated. _And everyone knows our family no longer possess the silver to purchase a decent spy. We aren't enough of a threat for him to waste the ink writing false plans._

There was something else her father had taught her when she was young, after the tutors had started teaching her all sorts of nonsense about religious symbology. He'd looked at the painting she was analyzing, listened patiently to her careful explanation of its Deep Inner Meaning, and promptly announced: 

"Sometimes, a spade is just a spade." 

Sometimes, there is no meaning. 

Little Ping tightened her hold around Mei Lai's neck, and her taloned feet chafed hard against Mei Lai's sides. She whimpered, but mercifully did not throw up again. 

_What am I playing at, anyway?_ Mei Lai sighed, and turned her luminous eyes northward. 

She could try and blackmail the concubine, for what good that would do – the lord had only recently taken her, and after this prolonged and annoying 'illness' it was doubtful she would remain in favor. The girl had really done a number on herself, Mei Lai thought sadly, all in the name of a dubious Love who probably would have just slaughtered her after he tired of her hysterics. She had even been tempted to keep the Royal Seal, since it was doubtful the concubine would possess it much longer, but that might have brought her name out into the open in any ensuing interrogations. Not even a Daughter of the Moon would be immune then, and her family certainly couldn't take another blow to its status. Mei Lai growled, still frustrated at her complete and utter impotence. Little Ping had even offered to remain behind, for goodness' sake, but not even THAT would have been useful enough to outweigh the risk. 

_When a spy in the women's quarters isn't worth the risk, you **know** you're in trouble. _she thought wryly. 

Little Ping shifted on Mei Lai's back, knocking one foot uncomfortably close to the dragon's wing base. "M-my lady?" the servant inquired softly. "Forgive me, b-b-but I am a l-little cold…" 

Mei Lai said nothing, as she was want to do in her true form, but she tipped her wings downward. The Forest of Sorrows unfolded beneath them as she broke the cloud cover, alight with the usual night-time noises: crying loons, crackling fires, explosive growls. A child cried plaintively, wanting its mother, but Mei Lai ignored it. The Forest was the home of hungry ghosts, and any kind fool heading in to comfort that child would not be seen again. She fought the winds hard and curved away from its wails, fighting the cold rush of ghost-power trying to pull her down. She was amused, but not terribly surprised, to hear the baby's whine turn into a frustrated screech. 

_It is too dangerous to live near these Shadow-lands._ Mei Lai thought for the thousandth time. _But gods help us, it is our best defense._ Little Ping's nails dug into her neck, and she knew the servant was thinking much the same thing. 

For the last fifty years her family had been buried in these tangled woods, shielded by the vengeance of the fallen spirits, hiding in estates that had once been mere summer palaces. It didn't take a genius to realize they were at the end of their resources, and it wouldn't take much to destroy their pathetic "stronghold". Even the Forest could not swallow an army, if the fighters were strong and the leaders determined. 

The faint tinges of despair nibbled at her again, and Mei Lai squeezed her eyes shut against the harshness of the wind. 

_I do not cry._ She told herself firmly. _The Fou do not weep, do not run, do not hesitate in the face of adversity. We will take back what has been stolen from us, and I will reign in the absence of my Father when the time comes that the Earth takes him away from me. With the Moon as my witness, I will restore our former glory! _

Gods help me.. 

She opened her jaws and roared, ignoring Little Ping's terrified squeal, ignoring the answering call from the Forest, ignoring everything but the primal heat running hot through her body, and made one final plea to the heavens. 

_Please, Mother, tell me how to save my family. _

* * *

"You are dismissed." Haruna stated icily, waving the messenger away. 

"What shall I tell my mistress?" the weasel asked slyly, ducking his head only slightly. Haruna narrowed her eyes at his impudence, but chose to ignore it. 

"Tell her I am grateful for her concern, but I have no need for her at this time." 

"Understood." The furry beast lashed his tail hard behind the screen, and Haruna did not need Jii to tell her that it meant _I am not pleased that you have wasted my time. _He glared at her again, peering around the divider at her shrouded form in an unthinkable breach of conduct. He inhaled once, thoughtfully. 

"You are dismissed!" Haruna stated again, feeling a faint tinge of panic. Jii-san stirred in the corner, half-masked by the haze of smoke in the room. His bulk was huge against the wall, like a lurking giant. 

The weasel paused, considering his position. 

"Good day, Lady. It was a pleasure." the weasel finally said, and retreated humbly, on his hands and knees. Haruna noticed he did not favor her with a bow as he left the room. 

For a moment, she sat completely motionless, clutching her ornamental fan so hard she thought it might break. 

"Is he gone?" she asked. 

"Yes, m'lady." Jii-san confirmed, approaching the bamboo screen slowly. She could only see half of him from her vantage point behind the portable wall, which was slightly unnerving. One of his rheumy eyes peeked around the partition, and she jumped in spite of herself. 

"I thought I told you! No creatures with Scent!" she snapped, still disturbed by the image of the devious weasel half-hidden behind her shouji screen. Even the muted light of the incense burners seemed too bright to her. Had he seen her through the veil? Had he smelled her through the incense? 

Had he realized she was _human_? 

"Sorry, m'lady." the old lizard said, ducking his head respectfully. "T'was a slip of me feeble old mind. Won't happen again." 

"Be sure that it doesn't!" she snapped, and rose from her cushions. Her heart was still knocking hard against her ribs, and she tried to calm herself. This business was far more nerve-racking then she'd thought anything could possibly be, and she couldn't wait to see it over with. 

If it would ever end. She was beginning to think she'd never find the right girl. 

"You are dismissed, Jii." She told the lizard, more gently this time. "Just…warn me next time, will you?" 

"Aye, m'lady." he nodded, then shuffled backwards to the veranda. "I, er…I have some other business t'night…I may not see ye for a while." He disappeared behind a partition silently, vanishing in a swirl of smoke and shadows. 

_Going to get drunk, like as not,_ she sniffed, then laughed at her own pettiness. It was scarcely her business if he wanted to chase the Dragon for a night or two. He'd already done her enough favors, and he wouldn't shirk his duties for long. A drunkard, yes, but the old beast was reliable. 

She passed into the hall purposefully, gathering her skirts around her in a show of bustle and energy. In reality, she was fatigued beyond belief. She had been meeting with prospective candidates all week, but nothing seemed any clearer than it had when they had first started this insane plot. There were rules to things here that she did not understand, rules that would have made any normal person's head explode years ago. Women were never supposed to plot behind their Lord's back, so it boggled the mind to think that such a situation could possibly have _etiquette_ attached. 

Again, the niggling sense that she was _missing_ something rose to nip at her heels. A gaggle of maids whispered loudly in a corner as she passed, and she favored them with such a fierce glance that even the boldest of them decided to quiet. _Let them talk in the scullery_, she thought fiercely. _The hallway is mine to walk, and I will not tolerate such insults in public._

The servants knew, of course. She'd known from the beginning that it was hopeless to keep such a thing from them, so she'd openly invited them to set up for the meetings—it helped to have extra hands positioning things properly and decorating with a demon's touch. They were already paid enough silver to keep her existence a secret from the outside world, so who was she to deny them their petty gossip? Besides, it was not exactly a secret that she was still without child. Surely they would have assumed that her entourage of visitors were associated with her misfortune. 

She pressed a hand to her belly again and made to enter her chambers, fighting back the taste of bile in her throat. Her uselessness was tangible, a heavy stone weighting her down from the midsection. What good was a wife who could not produce? How long could her husband remain heirless? She knew his position remained precarious though he did not _say_ as much. He had taken his father's lands at great personal cost, not long after their initial commitment, and she heard dark whispers in the hall that suggested his inheritance was not as safe as he claimed in private. 

_What good is a lord without an heir?_ they said, the words daggers through her breast. 

_The Western Lands will fall, when he dies, and this household with it._

She had to get him a son. If not hers, then someone else's—be it by gold, or incense, or outright threat. One way or another, she would find him an heir, and then maybe things would be normal between them again. And then… 

And then, she saw _her_. 

Lady Ouka was striding toward her with the usual entourage in tow; her handmaidens fawned over her dress and sleeves like a pack of dogs whining for a bone. They simpered endlessly and fed her compliments, eager for nothing but their mistress's praise. _What a disgusting display!_ Haruna thought, but as always, the slight tinges of fear tickled at her belly. 

Ouka was a terrier crossbred of relatively low birth—little more than a mutt--but strong enough to bear the attentions of a much more powerful demon. She had been moved to the eastern compound a few months ago, a gift from Inutaishou's cousins in the north. Haruna didn't have to be a mind reader to understand what they intended for her, nor did her dubious origins comfort her any. Ouka had come from a small but prestigious House of Comforts, and her talents were rumored to be legendary. 

_What are you doing here?! Get out of my hallway! _Haruna wanted to snarl, but there were Rules to this too. She had to play the game right or risk losing everything, so she dropped her arms to the front and bowed properly. 

"Good day to you, Ouka." she stated flatly, hating herself for even acknowledging the whelp. The words came out clipped and flat, and the demoness arched one eyebrow pointedly at the tone. Haruna hoped the scent of her anger was not detectable over the perfume in her hair. 

"Good day, Lady." Ouka replied with a cursory bow. "Out for a stroll? Or perhaps wondering where our dear Master has gotten to these days?" She curled her upper lip mockingly. Haruna knew nothing of the dog-language the demons spoke, but she didn't need a translator to realize that Ouka was threatening her. 

_Your husband spends more time in my bed than yours._

"My business is none of your concern." Haruna retorted, more sharply than she wanted. "And our Lord roams where he pleases, when he pleases." She met the demon's eyes with a steady gaze. 

_But the Lord comes to me first, and he doesn't **confide** in you. You haven't won him yet._

The concubine huffed, obviously taken aback. 

"Good day to you." Haruna nodded, and ducked through the door to her personal chambers before Ouka could think of a response. "I'll have one of my servants see you outside." 

_Get out of my life, and STAY out._

She _knew_ that Ouka disliked her. She knew that Ouka had said as much openly, out in the gardens where anyone might hear! And she also knew, as sure as the sun rises, that Ouka had Plans. If that trollop had her way, she would turn his head and cast her out onto the street. Once, she would have thought such a thing impossible. Their love was strong, and hot as the river of fire beneath the mountain she lived on. Now… 

She shook her head and busied herself in the act of changing, trying to think more positively. Her outer robes were entirely too smelly, and she shucked the first two layers disdainfully. Definitely, definitely time for a wash. She wrinkled her nose and threaded them onto their wooden forms, hoping that a good hanging would get some of the sweat-stench out. 

Still, the worrisome thoughts would not leave her. She went to her writing table and threw herself into her letters with mindless energy, attempting to find something to distract her from the paranoia. Her pen flew again and again to relatives, speaking blandly of autumn and illnesses, but her thoughts continued the endless litany. _Where is he? What is he doing? Why hasn't he come home? Is he even alive? Why doesn't he write more? Does he not care to write? Why doesn't…_

A small noise echoed in the darkness, and she let her pen rest briefly. She looked up quizzically, wondering who would bother her at this hour… 

And he was there. 

She looked up, and he was _there._

"M-my lord!" she gasped, startled by his presence. What could she say? His expression was strained. A jumble of sentences crashed through her head at once, but none seemed fitting. 

_He's home!_ her mind sang, and the thought filled her head until there was room for nothing else. 

He sat down stiffly, as if one leg pained him but he was trying not to favor it. _Fool! _Haruna sniffed, watching him closely. His expressions were known to her, and he was a fool if he thought he could hide his pain. _I'll have to get some liniment out. _she thought, slightly annoyed. Now that the immediate shock of his coming had worn off, Haruna wasn't sure _what_ to feel. He hadn't been home in weeks, and now he shows up injured?! She had the vaguest thought that she might be angry. 

"Welcome home, my Lord." she addressed formally, purposefully putting some distance between them. 

"Hello." he whispered, giving her his usual rougeish grin. She sniffed, entirely unimpressed. Here he had left her alone in the castle with scarcely a word for days, and now he expected her to fall right into his arms?! 

His smiled faltered almost immediately, and she suddenly realized the falseness behind it, the thinly veiled fatigue etched into his features. He looked tired, so very tired, and for once his silvery hair seemed lackluster. 

"What troubles you?" she asked, still struggling to stay distant. It was hard to warm up, she told herself, after being abandoned for so long. She needed to be cool to him, she needed to let him know her displeasure, even though she currently wanted nothing more than to twine her fingers into his hair and pull him down to the mattress…but she could stay calm. A little banter, perhaps, and she could give him some grief about leaving her to her 'own devices' for so many restless nights… 

"Torachiyo died last night." His words were clipped and emotionless. Haruna's flippant reply stopped cold on her tongue. He turned his eyes to her briefly, and they were wild and tortured. 

_ To hell with this._

"How?" she asked softly, crawling closer and abandoning any illusion of decorum. 

"Crows." he stated flatly, and she could tell he was struggling to keep the details from her. His nostrils flared uncontrollably, and his slender face twisted around the edges—no doubt remembering something horrible. _How long will you hide things from me? I know how much this war hurts you._ she wondered in concern, watching the anger flicker over his pale face, watching his crimson stripes writhe in agony. His mind might be closed to her, but his body was not--and she could tell he was close to Changing. 

"I'm sorry." she whispered, gently placing one slender hand on his knee. He tensed almost instantly, startled by the sudden contact, and his muscles jumped wildly underneath her bony fingers. She kneaded them slowly, willing him to relax, keeping one eye trained on his face. 

"That's not all." he barked gruffly, squeezing his eyes shut. His whole body shuddered with the memory. "Terutora is trying to claim…claim our lands." 

Haruna felt a icy chill run down her spine. "No. He wouldn't." Her husband merely looked at her, an empty, hopeless expression on his face. 

"But he _can't_!" She protested doggedly. 

"Yes, he could. The northern lords are backing him." Her husband growled, and his aura crackled around her, physically tangible. Her hair hovered away from her body, stiff with electricity, and Haruna squeezed his leg tighter, willing herself not to scream. It terrified her when he reacted like this, terrified her to realize how much power was sitting next to her. He must have known, because his nostrils flared and abruptly the energy reversed its direction, curling back into his body with an audible crackle. For several long minutes he just sat there, breathing it in, until his emotions were under control and she could let her guard down. 

Finally, he allowed himself to lean into her shoulder. 

"I can't do anything about it." he whimpered into her robes. "Father never made it official." He tilted his head to look at her, and all his defenses dropped at once. "My brother was supposed to inherit this territory, Haru. Not me." 

His hands came up to wrap around hers, and she was surprised how cool they felt. 

"I don't know if I can do this anymore." he whispered. "My brother should be here, not me." 

He looked at her plaintively, and his voice quavered. 

"I should have died there. Not him. I'm not supposed to _be_ here." 

_What do I say to that?_ she wondered, threading her fingers through his beautiful hair, watching the way it rippled to the floor. Her angry words forgotten, Haruna leaned in and did the only thing she could do. 

Her inky hair spilled over him possessively, and she pulled him closer. 

"But you're here _now_." she whispered, and enveloped him in her arms, drawing him close to her warmth. "And that's all that matters." 

"It's what matters to _me_." 

He started briefly, then returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around her and inhaling deeply. _Tasting my scent… _she realized, _he's reminding himself what I smell like. Oh, sweetheart…_

"I missed you." she whispered truthfully, moving her hands in small circles over his spine, pressing out the knots in his muscles. He buried his face in her smooth neck, content to hide in her for just a little while. _So proud…it's amazing he would share this with me. _ she mused to herself, massaging just behind his pointy ears. He moved against her only slightly, wrapping himself around her small form for comfort. 

"I missed you too." he responded gruffly, and opened his mouth to nibble at the soft curve of her chin. 

She pulled him closer and gently pressed her own lips to one of his cheeks, grazing the length of one crimson stripe. _So different we are,_ she thought for the thousandth time, distracted by his hot breath on her skin, _but we always find a way for each other…_

"Welcome home." she whispered, slipping one hand into his silky kimono. 

And no more words were necessary. 

* * *

He was gone when she woke again, several hours later, but his presence was still tangible beside her: the sheets still held the impression of his body. The sheets were cool though, and she realized through her tears that he had been gone for a long, long time. 

She didn't need to look, but she tortured herself anyways. The night air was chill and she considered returning indoors, but she had to look and see for herself. As she thought, the lights were burning in the eastern apartments. 

She tried to hate him but couldn't, because he didn't know what she knew. He didn't know that Ouka would ruin him, that the whelp would take everything in her power and separate him from the one thing that could bring his tortured soul comfort. Ouka would take his body, and maybe give him a son, but she would never be his confident. 

Eyes blazing and heart bleeding its life out, Haruna made up her mind once and for all. She would rid this house of Ouka and her spurious, infuriating ways, and she would resolve her shame in her own way. She would _get_ him a son, she would secure his bloodline, through her own connections. 

She would find him an apt and suitable concubine, or she would die trying. 

* * *

And the Plot Thickens! Mmm…like soup. 

I would normally respond to reviews here, but there were too many to do individually this time. Bless your hearts! I love you all. 


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